How to get that perfect smile

Vital signs

Who doesn’t want whiter, brighter teeth to look attractive and flash that ‘million-dollar smile’. But let’s face it, no matter how hard we try brushing to get that smile, which can win a million hearts, it doesn’t happen. But with advancements in teeth whitening and the introduction of other alternatives like ceramics, nobody needs to suffer in silence.

Even if a person is not ingesting tobacco, many daily products such as tea and coffee cause staining. As we get older, stains become deeper and harder to remove just by scaling. With age, the outer layer called enamel wears out exposing the inner layer dentin, which can easily take up the colours of the various spices that we Indians are fond of!

There are two main types of procedures that can be done to help yellowing teeth...

In-office bleaching is done in the dental office. The dentist applies a separating medium on the gums to prevent them from coming in contact with the bleaching agent, which is then applied to the teeth. The process is repeated till the desired shade is achieved using either a bleaching light, heat or lasers.

Home bleaching can be performed at home. The doctor fabricates customised trays to fit your teeth to load the bleaching material on the affected site and you can continue the procedure at home.

As technology advances, so do the procedures in dentistry. The latest advancement in teeth whitening is laser whitening. The effects are quicker and better than old trends in teeth whitening.

Dr Sheikh Mohsin Javaid
(The author is patient engagement manager, Clove Dental.)