What type of stains has the best prognosis for removal?
There are different types of tooth stains. They include surface stains and intrinsic stains. Of the two, surface stains have the best prognosis for removal through a teeth whitening procedure. Intrinsic stains, on the other hand, are stains which are located inside a tooth which have been caused by medications like tetracycline. These types of medications are normally taken by patients when they were very young. As a result, such stains are quite strong. Hence, the power bleaching system that the field of dentistry uses presently for teeth whitening has a hard time removing tetracycline-caused stains.
The causative factors behind tooth stains can come from a wide array of factors. However, the most common reasons start with habits like regular drinking of coffee, tea, sodas, and other similar drinks. Heredity and aging can also cause certain types of stains in teeth. In addition, the use of antibiotic drugs like tetracycline and the over-use of abrasives have been known to cause tough stains as well. Lastly, things like old fillings and the excessive exposure to fluoride have also been found to cause tooth stains.
Patients who opt to undergo the teeth whitening procedure have two options. They can either choose the in-office whitening method or the take home process. Even though both of these procedures effectively involve the dislodging of the teeth’s stains, the in-office whitening procedure is the faster of the two. The in-office system utilizes the power bleaching system and it almost immediately provides significant changes in a patient’s teeth color. On the other hand, the take home whitening procedure is a longer process in duration and usually takes around two weeks to give the same effect that an in-office procedure gives in a matter of hours. If a patient chooses the take home option, molds of his or her teeth are taken and custom trays are made to exactly fit his or her dental makeup. At different times of the day, the patient is required to wear these trays with a whitening gel applied on them.
The causative factors behind tooth stains can come from a wide array of factors. However, the most common reasons start with habits like regular drinking of coffee, tea, sodas, and other similar drinks. Heredity and aging can also cause certain types of stains in teeth. In addition, the use of antibiotic drugs like tetracycline and the over-use of abrasives have been known to cause tough stains as well. Lastly, things like old fillings and the excessive exposure to fluoride have also been found to cause tooth stains.
Patients who opt to undergo the teeth whitening procedure have two options. They can either choose the in-office whitening method or the take home process. Even though both of these procedures effectively involve the dislodging of the teeth’s stains, the in-office whitening procedure is the faster of the two. The in-office system utilizes the power bleaching system and it almost immediately provides significant changes in a patient’s teeth color. On the other hand, the take home whitening procedure is a longer process in duration and usually takes around two weeks to give the same effect that an in-office procedure gives in a matter of hours. If a patient chooses the take home option, molds of his or her teeth are taken and custom trays are made to exactly fit his or her dental makeup. At different times of the day, the patient is required to wear these trays with a whitening gel applied on them.