Technology, so to say, can get one the smile one desires. One can get the teeth one desires and even chose the shade and decorations and the desired gum line to go with it. To sustain it, one has to sacrifice certain habits like smoking, use a straw to sip one’s favorite coffee or tea and rinse the mouth immediately to avoid staining. One has toothpaste and home teeth whitening kits to maintain the whiteness.

Whitening teeth involve bleaching them, and one cannot make the teeth dazzling white but certainly considerably lighter. Teeth whitening is a dental procedure and needs to be done by a dentist or a registered dental therapist or hygienist. The registration assures one of their skills and knowledge about the work.

It calls for a few visits to the dentist over a period of one month. A dentist makes a mouth guard that fits around the patients’ teeth and is leak tight. He or she is required to wear this and apply the whitening gel all over the teeth and hold it for the specified period. There are gels that can be held in the mouth for 8 hours and the whitening treatment is done within a week. The whitening gel is applied and exposed to laser or as light as specified. This activates the whitening agent and in an hour’s time, the teeth are several shades lighter than earlier.

The market is full of teeth whitening DIY kits that come with their own risks. Some of them contain outright harmful chemicals that damage the teeth enamel. Others have an insufficient amount of the reagent and important factor is that the readymade teeth guards may not fit one properly and the whitening agents leak to the gum. This can burn the gums and increase the sensitivity of the teeth.

The life span of the whitening depends on the person and their lifestyle. Smoking, chewing tobacco, drinking plenty of coffee and tea and colored beverages shorten the life of teeth. Using a straw to sip coffee, tea, colored beverages, and washing the mouth soon after drinking red wine mitigates the ill effects. Restorations like crowns, fillings, cosmetic bonding, veneers artificial denture, etc. are unaffected

In teeth whitening, there are inherent risks. It is likely to increase the sensitivity of the teeth and create burns on gums that are sensitive to the whitening agent.

There are a few home remedies that are effective whitening solutions. However, they do not have conclusive scientific proof of their effectiveness. The biggest support in their favor is that some of the proven whitening toothpaste have these ingredients. Some studies have shown them to be effective.

Hydrogen peroxide–baking soda paste is one such home remedy. Two tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide are mixed with one tablespoon of baking soda into a smooth paste. Brush teeth with it and retain it in the mouth for a minute and clean the mouth absolutely free of these chemicals. Do not use it more than three times a week.

Similar is apple cider vinegar baking soda paste. Two volumes of the vinegar are mixed into a paste with one volume of baking soda into a paste. It is always better to keep baking soda on the lower level. Use it the same as the earlier one.