It's fairly easy to bleach your teeth these days. There are over the counter methods that allow you lighten things a few shades at home over the course of several weeks or even months, or you can opt for the faster, more powerful in-office option that only a dentist can provide. This takes around an hour and can lighten teeth by up to 8 shades. However, some tooth whitening solutions end up giving you a rather uneven coloring.
There are several reasons why your teeth might be bleaching unevenly. Let's take a look.
Bad Teeth
Applying a bleach gel to teeth that are decaying is never a good idea and it can result not only in uneven whitening, but also in super sensitive teeth and pain. If there are cracks or chips in the enamel, this will also affect how the bleach works on your mouth and can leave some areas brighter than others.
The root of the tooth doesn't have enamel covering on it, which is the part that is being lightened, so if you have a problem with receding gums, this can also cause coloring to differ between the main part of the tooth and the root.
Another issue that may cause irregular coloring is the type of stains you are trying to remove. While things like coffee and cigarette stains can be fairly easy to remove, others such as the spots caused by tetracycline or other medications tend to be more difficult and may require more than one treatment.
Whitening Issues
Of course, the teeth aren't always the problem. In many cases, the bleaching gel is at fault. Uneven coloring happens most often while using home whitening kits and these usually contain very low concentrations of peroxide. The level is enough to remove some lighter stain, but will not penetrate to the deeper, darker ones that need to be removed. The result is a bright white enamel with darker or brown areas on it.
Another issue that is commonly faced when using over the counter kits is the shelf life. While the kits are designed to last for years on a pharmacy shelf, they do lose potency and this can also result in problems. To avoid this one, you will need to pick the bleaching kit that is as fresh as possible, look for an expiry date at least a year or two out. This will ensure that the gel is relatively fresh.
When using a mouthpiece, it's important not to bite too hard. Even if it was made to custom fit your teeth, clamping down too hard or adding too much gel can cause the gel to reach the enamel unevenly, resulting in a poor finish. While the majority of the kits will be too weak for this to greatly affect the outcome, it is still an issue.
Teeth whitening solutions can be found that will do the job effectively, but in many cases you will find that it's best to see your dentist about a stronger bleaching session in his or her office. This is the best way to eliminate uneven coloring.
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