Everyone is different. Just as our hair and skin colour vary, so does our teeth colour. Very few people have brilliant-white teeth.

American academy of cosmetic dentistry surveyed its memebership in 2001 in order to create an understanding of the demand for cosmetic dental procedures and the results were quite encouraging.Tooth whitening is the most common cosmetic service provided by dentists.

An estimated ten million Americans will spend a whopping 2 billion dollars on tooth whitening products and services this year. so in order to create growth in our practice, we also need to offer cosmetic procedures.

Before going into the details of the procedures of Tooth whitening, it is important to know the reason for staining of teeth and the mechanism of action of tooth whitening.

Traditionally stains have been removed for the last 100 years but the modern methods of stain removal are quite a few.Initially discovered by accident by an orthodontist named William Klusmier. He instructed a patient to use an oral antiseptic containing 10% Carbamide peroxide in an orthodontic positioner, to be worn during night time, in order to facilitate gum healing.

Following are the modern methods of stain removal

• Toothpastes and Prophy pastes
• Brush on whitening
• Strips to stick on teeth
• Over the counter Tooth Whitening Systems
•  Dentist assisted Tooth whitening systems
• Bonding, Veneers 
   

A lot of studies have been conducted on the safety of Tooth whitening agents and it has been found that they are absolutely safe to use. But some precautions need to be followed. The results are good and satisfying.