From the dawn of time there has been one universal language. That language is the smile. When one smiles it shows happiness, contentment, pleasure, and joy. A smile is unmistakable. Today nothing defines a great smile like white teeth. We go to great measures to achieve the pearly white teeth, made so famous by Hollywood's elite. We use pastes, powders and the latest dental procedures. But do you know how this was achieved earlier in history? The history of teeth whitening can be traced as far back as 3000 bc.
As we all know the most important instrument in achieving white teeth is the toothbrush. The toothbrush in 3000 bc was known as a "chewstick". The first recorded excavated chewstick was made from the frayed end of a twig. Other archaeological excavations show that other materials such as bird feathers, animal bones and porcupine quills were used.
From the chewstick evolved the toothbrush. There were many different kinds. The Romans customarily used a toothpick made from brass or silver to clean their teeth after a meal. In the 1200's in China the toothbrush was made with hog's hair or rags. They would put soot and salt onto the toothbrush to clean their teeth. Thankfully in the 1930's nylon was discovered and the soft bristled toothbrushes that we know today were manufactured!
Just brushing your teeth to remove food and plague isn't enough. Now comes the invention of toothpaste. As with the toothbrush, toothpaste has an interesting history. The Egyptians used pumice and wine vinegar on their chewsticks to clean their teeth. From the Egyptians, toothpaste evolved to be burnt bread, salt, pepper and flowers. The most disgusting toothpaste award goes to the Romans. They used urine to brush their teeth thinking that its properties had great whitening power. As disgusting as it was, modern dentist have discovered that the ammonia in the urine did help to whiten their teeth. Toothpaste today contains ammonia.
More recent, but still primitive times barbers would perform extractions and whitening. The barber would file down your teeth and then apply nitric acid to them. Nitric acid was so corrosive it would destroy the enamel on the teeth. This whitening procedure lead to extreme decay.
In Italy during the 1800's scientists found that adding fluoride to the daily hygiene routine staved off cavities. The down fall to the fluoride during this time is that it left brown stains on your teeth. In 1915 America decided to add the fluoride to drinking water, toothpaste, and mouthwash. By this time the staining issue had been resolved.
Even with the advancement of the toothbrush and toothpaste, today many people still find that their teeth are discolored. The discoloration can be cased by genetics, medications, coffee, tea, wine and cigarettes. You can also get staining from drinking a significant amount of cola products. So what are your options in the 21st century to achieve the "perfect" white teeth? The answer is simple, Lamprey Dental Associates.
Lamprey Dental offers state of the art Laser Whitening. We have been offering this cosmetic procedure since 1997. Laser Whitening is when a translucent bleaching gel is applied to the teeth and a laser light is used to activate the crystals to absorb the energy from the light and penetrate the teeth enamel to increase the lightening effect on the teeth. The length of time in the chair depends on the degree of discoloration you have, but the typical length is 2 1/2 hrs. Usually it only takes one visit to reach the desired shade.
Another option is our custom bleaching trays, for home whitening. You would come into our office and have impressions of your teeth taken. From the impressions bleaching trays will be made and you will be given the whitening gel. You will need to brush and floss your teeth before placing your trays. Next you place a thin line of gel in each tray. Insert the tray into your mouth and seat it firmly against your teeth. Wipe the excess gel from your gum with your finger or a dry toothbrush. Your dentist will discuss with you the amount of time you will need to wear the trays daily. You will continue this process for about 2 weeks. When you are done make sure to rinse out your tray and brush away the remaining gel. You can continue to use your trays for touch up whitening after the initial procedure.
Lastly, there are our professional whitening strips. The professional whitening strips are for our patients who have little time or don't want to invest a lot of money in the whitening process. The whitening strip process is simple; first you peel off the strip from the transparent film it is attached to. Then you apply the strip to your upper front and lower front teeth. The strips stay on for an average of 30 minutes 2 times a day for 21 days. You can start to see results in as little as 3 days.
The only thing you will need to remember is that the whitening processes only whitens natural teeth. If you have teeth in the whitening area that have fillings, crowns or dentures, these will not lighten.
Please call us at Lamprey Dental so that we can take care of all your cosmetic dentistry needs!
