One of the best things about having dental insurance is that it often covers the cost of teeth whitening treatments.
However, if you don’t have dental insurance or your dental benefits are running out, you’re still in luck. Laser Teeth Whitening has emerged as a popular alternative treatment to goop-laden strips and pastes with messy side effects. It’s not only effective, it’s also safe and painless. And it can be done by an experienced dentist in just a few minutes at a very reasonable cost.
So what is Laser Teeth Whitening? And why should you care?
Laser teeth whitening is an outpatient procedure that involves the use of a laser to lighten the color of your teeth. This process is different from traditional teeth whitening procedures because it uses only one wavelength and involves no chemistry; there’s no need for you to take any special medication afterward.
Laser Teeth Whitening also has some significant advantages over traditional methods. The high-intensity light is a fraction of the wavelength of the visible light used in liquid-based teeth whitening. This means it’s not absorbed by your teeth, and it can be applied with precision to target only the colored portion of each tooth. Also, it has less power than traditional methods and therefore doesn’t cause much discomfort or sensitivity during treatment.
This is a very popular procedure for the same reasons that it’s not offered by most dentists. It’s a painless and cost-effective option that you can get in a very short amount of time.
How Laser Teeth Whitening Works: A Safer Alternative to Goop
Traditional teeth whiteners operate by altering the chemistry of your teeth. The process involves applying peroxide to your teeth, which changes their color when it interacts with other substances in your tooth enamel.
Goop-laden strips and pastes are applied to your teeth. The chemical reaction causes the peroxide to become unstable, causing it to release hydrogen peroxide, which in turn reacts with the other substances in the tooth enamel.
The color change is immediate and intense, but a week or two later when the chemical reaction starts to wear off, your teeth lose their color again.
It’s important to note that this step is what causes all of the unpleasant side effects of traditional Teeth Whitening methods. It can cause tooth sensitivity, gum irritation and even tooth decay if it’s not done properly.
In addition, the process often requires multiple treatments over a period of several weeks to achieve the desired result.
The laser method is a bit more expensive, but it’s also much safer for your teeth and gums. The laser light effectively targets only the colored portion of your teeth to ensure that the whitening process will have lasting results. This means no more pain or sensitivity after treatment.
Also, the whole process takes only a few minutes, and most people don’t need to come back for follow-up treatments.
The Safety of Laser Teeth Whitening Is Supported by Science
I’m not going to sugarcoat it Laser Teeth Whitening can be painful. But the science shows that it’s far less painful than you might imagine.
Most patients who have experienced pain during traditional teeth whitening have experienced pain during laser teeth whitening as well. However, there’s a simple reason why this doesn’t seem to be the case: laser teeth whitening is more effective and shorter than traditional teeth whitening.
Traditional Teeth Whitening can take many weeks and often requires multiple treatments over several days. Laser-assisted teeth whitening takes only thirty minutes or so. This means that with traditional methods, you’re likely to experience much more pain than with laser treatment because you’ll be undergoing the treatment for much longer.
What’s more, laser light is absorbed by the colored portion of your teeth but not the rest of your mouth. This means that there’s much less damage done to other tissue in your mouth.
It’s also worth noting that pain during Laser Teeth Whitening usually occurs because the patient has been consuming spicy or acidic foods prior to treatment. Spicy foods can irritate the roof of your mouth and cause nausea. Also, acidic foods can cause erosion of your teeth’s enamel, which weakens them over time.
Neck, Shoulder and Hand Pain Are Common Side Effects with Traditional Teeth Whitening Methods
I’m not going to deny that traditional teeth whiteners can be painful. And I’m not going to deny that there are likely some reasons for this.
The simple fact is that your teeth and gums are really sensitive. And the science suggests that you should be more concerned about this problem than you may have previously realized.
One study showed that certain areas in your mouth could experience a level of sensitivity 20 times greater than other areas of your body, such as your fingertips. In other words, it’s possible to experience pain equivalent to a hot poker poking your teeth and gums.
That’s a pretty hard pill to swallow. But the science suggests that it is also something to be considered before you start using traditional teeth whitening products.
Now let’s move on to the last remaining question: How can I get laser teeth whitening done?
Laser teeth whitening procedures are most commonly performed by dentists and oral surgeons. But in order for your dentist or oral surgeon to approve you for the procedure, they’ll need a recommendation from their own Dental care center.
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