If you want to have shining pearly white teeth, it is best to go for teeth whitening procedures. Dental whitening procedures are becoming very common these days because everyone is interested in improving his/her smile. There are also other procedures to correct discolored teeth. However, whitening is the most effective and efficient way to obtain pearly white teeth. The procedure is very safe and doesn't have any serious side effects. At the same time, it is also effective in providing results.

Your teeth can get discolored for a number of reasons. Smoking cigarettes is one of the leading causes of teeth discoloration and staining. Consuming foods such as tea, coffee, wine and curry can also cause teeth discoloration. Other contributing factors include mineral deficiencies, excessive fluoride in the water and genetic factors. The stains are hidden deep in the pores of the enamel layer. For this reason brushing will not remove the stains. However, whitening techniques are very effective because the bleaching agents used can penetrate the pores of the enamel layer and remove the stains.

The dentist will apply an oxidizing agent to the teeth. The teeth remain contact with the bleaching agent for some time. The bleaching agent dissociates, releasing oxygen which reacts with the stains and neutralizes them. Thus the normal appearance of teeth is restored. Whitening techniques can take up to one hour to complete. Depending on the extent of discoloration, the procedure may have to be repeated again for better results.

Several new teeth whitening techniques have come up in the recent years. One such effective technique is laser teeth whitening or power whitening. As evident from the name, the procedure uses a laser beam to bleach the teeth. The procedure is very similar to ordinary whitening. However, a special type of bleaching agent which gets activated by means of a laser is used. The procedure is comparatively costly but provides very effective results.

Teeth whitening is a safe procedure. It doesn't have any serious side effects. If you want to have a teeth whitening procedure done, contact your dentist.