Teeth-whitening strips are one of the Over The Counter (OTC) options to lighten the shade of your teeth. These are available in the market and no prescription is required.

The whitening strips are not as effective as the whitening treatment done in a professional dental setup. Although less effective, but is a cost-effective alternative to the procedure done in the office.

But yes, these are to be used at home to whiten your teeth. The ingredients in the teeth whitening strips are potentially effective in lightening your shade.

No doubt teeth whitening is one of the most demanded dental procedures. Yellowish discoloration of teeth is seen as age advances. Many people desire a whiter shade when they smile and hence whitening strips are used at home.

How do these work?

The teeth whitening products have peroxide which is the main ingredient. It acts by bleaching the stains present on teeth. These are capable of lightening both, the intrinsic and extrinsic stains of teeth.

Extrinsic Stains

The stains present on the outer surface of teeth are caused due to surrounding environment of teeth:

• Tea, coffee stains
• Certain medications (iron)
• Stains due to smoking
• Chewing tobacco

Intrinsic Stains

When the tooth is affected internally, caused due to

• Medications-Antibiotics such as tetracycline
• Presence of some tooth developmental disorder 
• Excess consumption of fluoride during tooth development

The whitening strips are not effective when the stains are severe, in such cases professional whitening is recommended. the strips are usually recommended when you need a quick touch-up to your previous whitening treatment.

How to use it?

The results are seen in a few to several days. A variety of whitening kits are available in the market and results vary with each brand.

These are usually applied for 30 minutes in a single application. The strip is to be applied twice a week or sometimes the application instructions can vary.

Precautions

Although the teeth whitening strips are easy to use at home and cost-effective, care should be taken to avoid the side effects.

• Although mild you can experience tooth sensitivity and gum irritation 
• Do not leave the strips for a longer duration than recommended as it increases the severity of side effects
• Very high concentrations(>35%) of peroxide in the strips can harm the structure of the tooth
• The whitening strips do not lighten the shade of artificial teeth and fillings.

Make an appointment with our cosmetic dentist for the treatment of professional teeth whitening in Dubai

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