They say the best thing one can wear is a beautiful smile and that is true. An amazing smile is powerful, that is why people work on getting whiter teeth. The so-called million dollar smile that often cover magazine pages is truly coveted, but many are afraid of going to the dentist for teeth whitening because they have heard all kinds of bad things about it.
Myth: Teeth whitening procedures cause abrasion of enamel tissues.
To tackle this myth, you need to be educated about the different layers of teeth tissues. First of all, there are two parts to the teeth: the crown and the root. In the innermost layer, within the pulp canal, you have the pulp tissue. This extends throughout the tooth (crown and root) and serves as the nerve and nourishment center of the tooth. The periphery of the pulp canal is lined by a hard tissue called dentin and it extends, once again, throughout the tooth. The outermost layer of the teeth is the cementum for the root and the enamel for the crown. Enamel is white and almost translucent. It is made up of tubes called enamel rods.
People who avoid teeth whitening procedures do so because they fear that bleaching procedures are like skin peeling procedures done by dermatologists, where the outer layer of skin is removed to expose whiter and newer skin. They fear that teeth whitening is the same and may result in the wearing away of the teeth, especially if done regularly.
The Teeth Whitening Mechanism
The teeth whitening procedure is made possible by the whitening agent. The mixture contains an activator that opens the pores of the teeth, called the enamel rods. Once opened, the whitening component can penetrate the tissues and carry out the bleaching process. The pores open and the whitening process begin. Contrary to what people think that whitening is achieved by abrading the enamel surface (just like skin peeling) understand that nothing like this happens. As a matter of fact, if this is true, then you do not get whiter teeth. The second layer of teeth, which is the dentin, is yellowish in colour. If the enamel is abraded in the process, you expose the yellow dentin.
The sensitivity that is experienced with teeth whitening procedures is due to the opening of the pores. With the pores activated, the pulp becomes more exposed to stimuli. After a few days, these pores will close and everything will be back to normal.
This is also the reason why patients are instructed to avoid coloured substances (food and drinks) after the procedure. With the pores activated, it can actively absorb all the staining properties of coffee, tea, curry sauce and other substances. Being careless about this will be very wasteful because your teeth shade will more likely go back to how it was, before you had the treatment.