Although the color of the teeth shows individual differences, they do not stay the same over time and may darken. Depending on what we eat, drink and how much we pay attention to personal oral care, they turn yellow and dark over time. Teeth that darken over time can put us in trouble aesthetically. We can say that it is the common wish of everyone to have a white smile by removing the yellowing or darkening of our teeth.
Why do our teeth turn yellow?
The color of our teeth can become darker by settling in the tooth tissue by the coloring elements absorbed by the tooth tissue over time, and some stains sticking to the tooth surface also turn the teeth yellow. Apart from this, some structural disorders can cause dark teeth. Due to some drugs used in infancy, discoloration may occur in the following years. In teeth that have lost their vitality, darkening can be seen by deteriorating the tissues inside and staining the tooth from the inside.
My teeth are yellow, what should I do?
First of all, we should definitely not resort to various methods that we think we can do ourselves to whiten teeth. This can cause irreversible damage from time to time. However, with a dentist control, your problem can be determined simply and the right and permanent method can be applied to you. A professional dental cleaning is performed by the dentist to better determine the cause of the bothersome jaundice.
We recommend having this cleaning process done at the 6-month check-ups as needed. In the cleaning of the teeth, the stains adhered to the tooth surface are removed and the color of the tooth is revealed. In this way, if the tooth color still looks dark or yellowed, applications are needed to whiten the tooth’s own color.
How is teeth whitening done?
First of all, the tooth surface is cleaned and the color of the tooth is revealed. Teeth can be bleached by chemicals such as carbamide-peroxide or hydrogen peroxide applied to the tooth surface. There are basically two methods
Home bleaching
A transparent and soft thin plaque is prepared on the teeth in the measurements taken from the mouth. The syringe-shaped gel drugs given by the physician are squeezed into the plaque and the plaque is inserted into the mouth and applied by the person himself. By applying the plaque for 2-4 hours a day, sufficient whitening is usually achieved in the tooth tissue within 1 week. The amount of whitening can be adjusted by extending or shortening this period.
Clinical type teeth whitening (office bleaching)
Higher concentrations of whitening agents are applied to the tooth surface by the physician, and it is completed in a period of 45 minutes to 1 hour. Since the applied chemical agent will cause damage to the gingiva and soft tissues, the dentist completely isolates the teeth from the gingival, cheek and lip tissues. Chemicals are applied to the tooth surface and the waiting phase is started. This period is completed by activating the bleaching agent with laser or UV rays.
In order to obtain more radical results from time to time, these two methods can be combined and repeated every 6-12 months.
Is teeth whitening harmful?
No permanent damage of teeth bleaching or teeth whitening has been detected. Teeth whitening can cause sensitivity, especially when the tooth tissue is extremely permeable. While this sensitivity may feel unpleasant to the person, it will disappear within 24 and is not permanent. Teeth whitening time should be shortened according to this sensitivity. In these people, teeth whitening should be done in more sessions and in shorter periods.
What should I pay attention to after teeth whitening?
After the whitening process, especially in the first weeks, elements that can give color to the teeth such as tea, coffee, red wine, cherry juice, cigarettes and some mouthwashes should be avoided. In the first weeks, the teeth will be more open to external factors. The long-term success of teeth whitening is directly related to the extent to which the person consumes dental care and coloring drinks.
I have yellowing in only one tooth, what should I do?
Yellowing and internal whitening in a single tooth.
From time to time, the colors of the teeth that lose their vitality turn yellow and dark, and these teeth require root canal treatment. Yellowing and darkening of teeth that have undergone root canal treatment should be whitened internally with bleaching agents applied to the inside of the tooth. The whitening agents placed in the canal part of the tooth are renewed every few days and repeated until the desired result is achieved.
