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As we age, our teeth continue to become stained because of what we eat and drink, and habits like smoking. As a result of the discoloration of our teeth, our smiles lose their brightness and our appearance is affected.

Fortunately there are teeth whitening techniques available today that will help you whiten your teeth and brighten your smile. We will look at some of them in this article.

The first innovation designed to whiten teeth appeared several years ago. These are teeth whitening trays and were available only through a dentist.

The idea was simple, a mold was made of the mouth, or else a ready-made tray was used. The dentist put a bleaching compound or a whitening gel on the tray and it was placed in the mouth. It was worn for at least an hour a day. This allowed the saliva to react with the chemicals to release hydrogen peroxide, a tooth whitener.

As with any teeth whitening method, there are positives and negatives. On the positive side, the results are generally very significant. On the negative side, wearing the tray can be both awkward and uncomfortable. Not only that, but the whitening solution can lead to teeth sensitivity problems.

An even more effective teeth whitening method than tray bleaching is laser whitening. In laser whitening, a whitening gel is applied to the patient’s teeth and then energized with light from a dental laser, speeding up the process considerably. Though highly effective, it is also expensive.

There are some less costly, yet still effective, methods available to whiten your teeth. One popular product is teeth whitening strips.

Whitening strips are worn for 1 hour each day and have been shown to whiten teeth substantially. A drawback, however, is that the spaces between the teeth remain unwhitened and become even more noticeable as a result.

Many people feel that the best teeth whitening products are gels. Take note of the percent of the active ingredient when purchasing a gel. A larger amount of carbamide peroxide means that you will notice results more quickly. Gels can be applied to the teeth using a molded tray, but it’s important to shield your gums from the chemicals.