How should I bleach my teeth?

There are three primary ways of bleaching: White Strips, Tray Bleaching, and cherished Bleaching, all work, but all have some different features. White Strips is probably the cheapest initially , but touch-ups require you purchase new White Strips(not so cheap for touching up) and this form of bleaching is kind of yucky. This technique essentially uses cellophane coated with carbamide peroxide to wrap your teeth for an hour a day. Its slow but it works and white is white no matter what method is used. Using a tray coated with carbamide peroxide is easier and can be faster depending on the gel used. Trays are most often made by your dentist but some people are obtaining them from the internet. Trays are usually worn at night and bleach your smile while you sleep, but they can be worn for brief periods during the day with special solutions. Touch-ups are easiest with trays and can be done in one or two days every 6 months- one year. cherished bleaching is good for those who need instant gratification and like the idea of beauty parlor type treatment; come in, sit down(1-2 hours) and leave with a whiter smile! Unless trays are also made you have no easy way of touching up your smile and you will eventually want to. Increased sensitivity is most associated with chairside bleaching, but in my office it's always been temporary and lasts for a day or two. Cost White Strips : approx. $50, Trays can purchased at our office for $500 and chairside bleaching for as little as $550. As in all things in life, results can vary and it does matter who does it and how it's done.

Whats the best toothbrush?

In my opinion the Oral-B 3d electic toothrush does the best job of plaque removal and has a high degree of reliablilty. There are many good models to choose from and all of the Oral-B electrics are good as long as they come with a rechargable battery

What is Periodontal Disease?

So you're worried you have gum disease, think you might have it or worse been told you've got it , what does it mean? Periondontal Disease discribes a syndrome characterized by bleeding gums , bone loss with or without pocketing. Mobiltity of teeth , bad breath and/or receeding gums may be present. Why does it happen.? Perio D happens to be one of the bodies responses to inflamation caused by bacteria around and attached to teeth. Plaque left on tooth surfaces long enough gets progressively nastier(has more anaerobic bacteria) and more toxic to the body. Inflamation is the bodies defense against the bacteria and they're toxins, and it seems that this inflamation can lead to breakdown of the bodies collegen and bone which leads to "pocketing"(crevices of more than 3mm between the gums and the teeth). These pockets tend to be harder to keep clean and tend to harbor nasty bacterias which can lead to even further bone breakdown. they also tend to gather tartar which often is not removed with ordinary cleanings by the hygienest. So what to do about it? Almost all dentists agree: Deep scaling and root planning(or initial therapy for gum disease) is a good place to start. The patient is numbed up and quadrants of the mouth are meticulously cleaned using currettes placed under the gums. Some of this is normally done by the hygienest during a normal cleaning , but not much or the unanaethitized patient wouldn't come back. At these initially therapy visits(2or 4 vistits usually) homecare training is given. This training may be the most important part of the visits since this is what is going to keep your mouth healthy afterwards. Also patients are often dosed with tetracycline drugs,either topically or in pill form during and after treaments since they tend to allow for better shrinking of the pockets and lessen inflamation which might make your condition worsen.