You don’t have to be in show business to care about having sparkling white teeth. These days, tooth whitening is accepted as standard, and thanks to a number of different techniques, yellowed, gray, or discolored teeth can easily and quickly become a thing of the past.
Certain foods, drinks, and cigarettes all contribute to the dulling yellow color which slowly creeps into teeth with age. Other villains include genetics, accidents or injury to teeth, and certain types of medications.
The good news is that you have a lot of control over yellowing simply by taking good care of your teeth. That includes brushing frequently enough and using the correct technique, which a dentist or hygienist should be happy to show you. Some toothpastes designed specifically for whitening are available on the market; and regular professional cleaning can make a before- and-after difference. Modern teeth cleaning procedures in Prague dentistry includes the use of rotating instruments, lasers, and ultrasound.
In between trips to the dental hygienist, you can try whitening your teeth at home. You simply wear a special case that fits your teeth exactly, containing a whitening gel. It’s necessary to wear it for a few hours each day, so if you have blocks of time when you’re out of the public eye, this can be an effective method. But don’t go overboard: overuse can lead to increased tooth sensitivity or gum irritation.
What if you can’t make such a big time commitment? Then it’s off to the dentist’s, where a carefully balanced, stronger whitening solution plus the use of a blue light or lasers can achieve the same effect in one to two hours. In some cases, whitening as well as the shape of the teeth can be improved at the same time. The tooth enamel is filed and a very thin veneer is applied to the surface of the teeth.
But what about that annoying tooth that slowly turns darker and darker gray … or even black? This is a slightly different situation. Significant color change is usually due to an accident, death of the tooth pulp, dark fillings, or tooth decay. It’s always necessary for the dentist to examine and explore a bit further to find out the actual cause of this type of discoloration.
In the case of tooth decay, replacement of the dark material with a simple filling may suffice. Another simple solution is to whiten the inside of a “dead” tooth with a dental inlay. Ceramic onlays, on the other hand, help teeth regain their original strength while allowing the natural color of healthy tooth tissue to show through. All these procedures can usually be done in just one visit to the dentist.
You don’t have to worry that a discolored tooth necessarily means a lot of pain, time, trouble, and toil at the dentist’s. Often the remedy is just a quick, single session in the reclining chair, thanks to the latest modern dental technology. And that’s enough to make you smile, just to think about it!