Bad Breath: You Don't Have to Live with It

Professional teeth whitening at a clinic for cosmetic dentistry can boost a person's self-confidence and even improve overall mood. These sometimes are significant improvements in an individual's well-being. Many people avoid showing teeth when smiling because they are self-conscious about the yellowing that has developed over the years. Professional whitening allows them to feel more attractive because of their rejuvenated smile.

Why Brightness Diminishes

Whitening is an easy strategy for rejuvenating a person's facial appearance. Teeth typically become yellower as a person ages. That's because of eating and drinking foods and beverages that stain the enamel. This is a very gradual process that takes years. Only when a person sees a photo of their smile alongside that of a much younger person does the problem become evident. 

Dental Clinics and the Whitening Process

The process is done with bleaching substances, such as peroxide gels in trays. Usually, patients have one or two sessions at the clinic and then continue at home.

At a dental clinic, laser light can be applied to speed the process. Some patients want a slower process, though, because an abrupt change would be too obvious to other people. They want to look younger but not so suddenly that everyone knows cosmetic work has been done.

The Aspect of Mood Improvement

One theory as to why smiling makes people feel better emotionally is because doing so causes the brain to release dopamine and serotonin. Those endorphin hormones lighten the mood and decrease feelings of stress. This is a distinct psychological benefit to having whiter teeth achieved with the assistance of a cosmetic dentist. 

Behaviors to Avoid in the Future

Patients must follow strategies to prevent future enamel staining if they want the whitening effect to last a long time. Drinking dark-colored sodas, iced tea, grape juice, and red wine could be done with a straw. Instead of sipping on hot coffee, changing to iced coffee and using a straw is another possibility. At the very least, these individuals must not swish the liquid around the mouth.

In addition, not smoking tobacco is imperative. Nicotine and tar in cigarettes and cigars is the worst culprit in stained teeth, and the discoloration is difficult to resolve.

Routine Teeth Care

Regular brushing and flossing is important for keeping teeth white and preventing tartar buildup as much as possible. Using whitening toothpaste helps maintain the effects and reverses some discoloration caused by eating and drinking habits. Twice-yearly checkups and routine professional cleaning lightens the enamel to a certain extent.