TEETH WHITENING

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Teeth whitening is a cosmetic dental procedure designed to lighten the color of natural tooth enamel and remove stains or discoloration. It is one of the most popular and least invasive cosmetic dental treatments.

The active ingredient in most whitening products is peroxide (either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide).

1. Penetration: The peroxide gel is applied to the teeth and penetrates the porous enamel.
   
2. Oxidation: It breaks down into oxygen molecules, which react with the discolored molecules inside your tooth.
   
3. Result: This chemical reaction breaks the bonds that hold the stains together, effectively "bleaching" the tooth from the inside out to make it appear whiter.

Whitening products do NOT work on dentures, crowns, veneers, or fillings.Since you previously asked about immediate dentures:

• If you have dentures: You cannot whiten them with bleach or whitening strips. Doing so may actually weaken the denture material or turn it an odd color. To "whiten" dentures, they must be professionally polished or cleaned to remove surface stains, but the base shade cannot be changed.
  
• If you have partial dentures: You can whiten your remaining natural teeth to match the denture, but the artificial teeth will stay the same color.