In most cases, the natural color of teeth is within a range of light
grayish-yellow shades. Teeth naturally darken with age and their appearance can
be affected by the accumulation of surface stains acquired from the use of
tobacco products and the consumption of certain foods or drinks. In addition,
the perception of the color of teeth is severely affected by skin tone and
make-up. Independent of the real color of their teeth, people with darker skin
or who use dark makeup will look like they have brighter teeth. Although teeth
are not naturally meant to be completely white, many patients want a brighter
smile. There are two methods for bleaching teeth. The method that will work
best for you depends on the number of teeth that need to be bleached, and on
how badly they are stained (or discolored). Dr. Hamamji recommend one of these
two technique :
1. Putting a special bleach on your stained teeth and using heat (or heat and light) to start the bleaching action(chair whitening)
2. Wearing a custom-made mouth guard filled with a special bleach for part of each day(home whitening)