They say that beauty is skin deep; however, a beauty that can be seen can become advantageous to those that have it. Take, for example, people with symmetrical teeth and beautiful smiles, these people often stand out in the crowd and are often the center of attraction. It is not only because they have beautiful smiles, but these smiles make them feel more confident about themselves and will often be assertive and attract attention. It is therefore important to take good care of your teeth to preserve a beautiful smile. When you neglect teeth care, you may end up with damaged or missing teeth. One of the earliest signs that you are not taking care of your teeth properly is teeth discoloration.
What is Healthy Teeth Color?
First, you need to know that a pearly-white set of teeth is not always the standards for healthy teeth. People can have pearly white teeth but still have cavities and gum infections. Likewise, you can have yellowish or off-white teeth but still have strong and healthy teeth. The natural color of the enamel found in teeth is not white but has a blueish-white color. Moreover, the dentine beneath the enamel has a yellow hue. People who have thin and translucent-like enamel will tend to show the dentine’s color more and thus will have yellowish-looking teeth. Having thin enamels are a matter of a person’s genetics.
The Need to Whiten Teeth
People who have healthy yellowish teeth may still want to improve their teeth’s color. This need is due to the notion of society that yellow teeth are associated with poor mouth hygiene. Likewise, you will not see any smile in magazines or media advertisements with naturally healthy yet yellow teeth. People associate yellow teeth with tobacco staining or lack of brushing. Fortunately, you may opt to improve the color of your teeth by bleaching them.
Range of OTC whitening products to choose from
How Much Does It Cost to Whiten Your Teeth?
Teeth whitening may either be cheap or costly, depending on whether you will use over-the-counter bleaching products or have your teeth bleached professionally by a dentist.
Over-the-Counter. There are many OTC teeth whitening products to choose from, ranging from bleaching pens, strips, toothpaste, and whitening trays. All of these products cost less than $100 per set. However, these products may not be as effective as going to a dentist to have your teeth professionally bleached. Likewise, these products may contain different levels of bleaching agents that may be too weak to whiten your teeth effectively or too strong to damage other tissues in your mouth. Moreover, you will have to wait for a long time to see improvements in your teeth color if there are any.
Professional Teeth Whitening. If you want to have a significant change in your teeth color, it is best to seek a dentist’s services since they will know the most effective and quickest way to whiten your teeth. Dentists will also address the issues of your teeth aside from the discoloration. In terms of the cost, most if not all dental insurance providers will not cover dental enhancements. Having your teeth professionally whitened will cost you around $650 to $1000 depending on the severity of the discoloration, the dental fee, and other issues that need to be addressed.
