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In a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, it's reported that a middle-aged insurance executive spent $1,000 on dental work. What was the result of this financial investment to the mouth? Whiter teeth. The executive underwent one of the new tooth-whitening procedures that uses lasers and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The article says that the gentleman thought it was no different than buying an expensive, imported suit. "I simply thought my appearance would improve", quotes the article.
Bright white seems to increasingly be the color of choice for American's pearlies. Within the last year we spent more than $300 million on whitening toothpastes alone, which accounts for about 15% of all toothpaste sales. According to Clinical Research Associates in Provo, Utah, approximately 85% of all U.S. dentists offer whitening procedures, which is up from almost 0% a decade ago.
Currently, the most widely used whitening procedure is that of bleaching. For dark teeth, your dentist would typically administer a power bleaching, resulting in lighter teeth in just a couple of hours. For many people, that's proved to be just fine. Others have opted for the further step of a take home whitening system used over a two to four week period, resulting in even more whitening. The procedure involves a custom fitted bleaching tray and a whitening agent which is placed in the tray. The tray is fitted to the teeth and worn for two to four hours a day, or overnight. A couple of brief visits to your dentist to check on your progress rounds out your treatment.
While most dentists are comfortable with the new laser procedure, some are a little more guarded. The Wall Street Journal article points to a dentist in Illinois who wants to see more research before he provides the service. "Chances are it's probably not any worse than drilling out decay, but it's still one of those things that it hasn't been around long enough for me to feel comfortable... It pays to be prudent...", the article quotes.
Whether bleaching or laser whitening, consumers are increasingly trading in last season's yellow for this season's bright white, putting up with some inconvenience and extra expenditures to gain a whole lot of self-esteem. So we offer you these tips:

	Do the procedure with your dentist's guidance, and not with an over-the-counter kit.
	As to whitening toothpastes, your best bet is to double check with your dentist to make sure the toothpaste you'll be using does not have abrasive agents that can erode tooth enamel.
	One of the best things you can do for your smile is to take things into your own hands. Maintain a regular schedule of brushing, flossing and having your teeth cleaned regularly by your dental hygienist. Also, avoid those stain-causing culprits such as coffee, red wine, brown sodas and, most importantly, cigarettes.

The number of tooth-whitening procedures will surely increase over time. And that's fine. But if you have a healthy set of teeth, you should feel perfectly happy with that and realize some staining over the life of your teeth is normal.
But, the trend is here. And if this is something you really want to do, go for it. Just follow our few tidbits of advice in your quest for those pearly whites.

¹The Wall Street Journal, Health Journal, pg. B1, Monday, June 23, 1997

^2-3 Ibid

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Copyright, Copyleft but  please no Copytheft  © 2001 Alexandru Petre
Ultima actualizare: 24-01-2002