The History of Peroxide Teeth Whitening Initially, the Dentist used teeth whitening formulas for cleaning of dentures. Gradually these formulas became known for general teeth whitening purposes. In the earlier days lime chloride was used for teeth whitening purposes. Nowadays, many chemicals and formulas are used for teeth whitening. Peroxide is one such agent used for teeth widening and is probably the most common one used for both professional teeth whitening done by the dentists and for home purposes in which home based whitening is done by applying whitening agents on the teeth. Hydrogen peroxide has been safely used in teeth whitening for over 100 years and is known as an effective ingredient by the dental community. Teeth whiteners are basically bleaching agents which remove the stains and make the teeth look brighter and whiter. Although teeth whiteners are being used since so many years, they are available in form of teeth whitening kits in market since 1990’s only. Hydrogen Peroxide was available in form of an antiseptic mouthwash since so many years which upon use turns the teeth lighter. Recently it is available in various concentrated whiteners used both for professional and for home purposes. Peroxide compounds are used for both professional teeth whitening and for at home teeth whitening in the form of teeth whitening kits. In Professional teeth whitening the concentration of peroxide is higher, which is about 30% to 35%,and the dentists perform this at their office while at home whiteners are available in form of home whitening kits which uses about 6 to 7% of hydrogen peroxide concentration.. In these the concentration of peroxide is lower and the user has to use it more frequently and for a longer time to get good results. The process of whitening using peroxides for bleaching is performed by oxidation which removes the stains and other organics from the teeth without doing any harm to the enamel. It makes the color lighter thus doing away with the discolored portions. There is however some doubt over the continued use of peroxides as it may damage the enamel of the tooth. Carbamide peroxide is also used as a teeth whitener in the teeth whitening kits where peroxide concentrated gels were loaded in molded teeth trays and the person seeking teeth whitening has to wear it overnight for whitening of teeth. But from 1997 onwards this theory changed as it was proved that wearing the molded trays for night long whitened teeth to a very little extent as they used very low concentration of peroxide and there were other side effects also caused by swallowing of the liquid in sleep. Nowadays, a highly concentrated gel is used which is more effective and brings results in 4 to 5 hours. With the advent of teeth whitening kits people prefer at home teeth whitening rather than professional teeth whitening as these are cheaper and can be done at your own comfort. Whitening is no more a complex process which can be performed only by professional dentists but it has become an easy routine process which can easily be followed by any individual keen on getting a whiter and brighter smile.
Whitening is no more a complex process which can be performed only by professional dentists but it has become an easy routine process which can easily be followed by any individual keen on getting a whiter and brighter smile.
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