L.K. Nathans
They say you are never fully dressed without a smile, I say you are never really confident without a bright smile.
And you can’t have a bright smile without crystal white teeth. We are all right. Imagine going to that first date, job interview or public speaking baring a set of stained teeth. You can’t talk to your peers confidently, you can’t have a lively conversation without feeling insecure. Stained teeth can be a pain in the ass. They will drain all confidence from you, make you insecure and probably plunge you into some form of stress or stigma.
But having stained teeth is not the end of the world for you. Teeth whitening in Kenya is quickly advancing and now it is easier than never to have your teeth whitened by a professional.
There are a ton of effective teeth whitening kits on the market today and you will probably be spoiled for choice trying to get your best pick.
They are very easy to use with minimal help and supervision from a dentist and they sell at insanely low prices.
This guide is dedicated to providing you with a step to step guide to buying the best and most effective teeth whitening products in Kenya available on the market today.
But before that let’s explore a few fundamental areas.
What causes teeth staining?
Perhaps you are not interested in knowing how you messed up your teeth because maybe you already know and just want to know how to whiten them already. I feel you mate. But hey, take a sec here. Teeth can be discoloured in many ways, therefore, resulting in different kinds of stains which are dealt with using different methods and different teeth whitening products. Get the point? As a matter of fact, many dentists advise getting a dental examination to determine the cause of discolouration. This way you will be able to know which whitening products(s) suits your needs.
Here is how you might have stained your teeth:
- Food and drinks; Some drinks such as coffee and tea and some types of fruits and vegetables will leave all the stains you don’t want on your teeth.
- Tobacco use: You smoke or chew tobacco? Dear that’s where you kicked the white color away.
- Poor dental hygiene: If you don’t brush or floss regularly to get rid of the stains left behind by the coffee, tea or tobacco, you are on your way…
- Environment: too much fluoride in the environment or water sources will definitely stain your teeth.
The examples that I have listed above are those that can be easily or moderately dealt with using teeth whitening products. There are of course other imminent causes of teeth discolouration like diseases, dental processes, genetics, advancing age etc, but those are more complicated and will require just as complicated and advanced a process of whitening them. Or maybe there is nothing we can do about that. More on that below…
Can all types of stains be whitened?
Dental experts have categorized teeth discolouration into two groups
- Extrinsic discoloration
- Intrinsic discoloration
Difference between Extrinsic and Intrinsic teeth stains
Extrinsic stains are on the surface of the tooth enamel and are usually caused by stuff we eat or drink such as wine, cola, coffee or smoking. The stains can be spotted in different colours such as brown, black, yellow, grey etc. These stains can be dealt with using different methods such as micro polishers, surfactants or bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide.
Intrinsic stains are deeper within the teeth enamel and require a more advanced method of whitening. They can be caused by ageing, genetics, dental infections or injury to the tooth. Whitening products rich in peroxides are recommended for cleaning these types of stains.
How to choose the best teeth whitening Kit
I understand that getting that sparkling white smile is very important to you. It is therefore very essential that you spent your money on a whitening product that will deliver the best results and not disappoint you.
I am going to show you some of the factors you should consider before you decide to buy a teeth whitening kit on amazon or any other place.
- Ease of Use Since you will be using the kit by yourself at home without any professional supervision, it is crucial that it be easy to use so that you don’t mess things up and ruin your chance of a white smile. You must be in a position to comfortably use the whiteners without much hustle.
- Effectiveness Some teeth whitening kits may not live up to what they promise. You will therefore want to make sure that you do an extensive research, read honest reviews of the best teeth whitening kits and even get first information from customers who have already used the kit.
- Ingredients This is one very important aspect you should never take for granted when buying a teeth whitening kit. You have to make sure that the whitener has the essential ingredients such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide that are necessary for teeth whitening. You may also be sensitive or allergic to some ingredients and it is therefore important that you avoid them. When in doubt, seek a professional dentist’s opinion on this.
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Teeth sensitivity
Although tooth sensitivity due to usage of whitening products are
common and generally go away after some time, it is important that you
choose a whitener that does not make your teeth too sensitive therefore
making the whole practice irritating and unconformable. Again check with
your dentist and discover the best product for your teeth.
Types of teeth whitening products
When it comes to choosing your ideal teeth whitening product, you will probably be spoiled for choice. But your want to put your money into the type of product that will give you that ultimate shiny smile you have always dreamed of. There are a variety of options available so it is very unlikely you will miss out on your best product.
Teeth whitening products are usually categorized into two:
- Over the Counter (OTC)
- In office treatment
Whitening Toothpastes
Toothpaste contains mild abrasives and in some cases chemicals that help them to neatly remove surface stains on your teeth. They however only remove surface stains and do not bleach the teeth like professional teeth whitening products which contain hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide.
Whitening rinses
The art of teeth whitening is constantly developing and now you don’t need to directly brush your teeth to whiten them. Allow me to introduce the Whitening rinses! These products, like most effective teeth whitening products, contain hydrogen peroxide without which it’s almost impossible to achieve a sparkling smile.
All you have to do is swish the stuff around in your mouth for about 60 seconds every day before brushing your teeth.
Manufacturers advise that you repeat this for about 12 weeks to achieve the desired results.
Apart from whitening, rinses are also essential for fresh breath, dental plaque and other gum diseases.
This method may however not be as effective as other OTC products since the rinses are in contact with the teeth for only a short period of time.
Tray- Based Whiteners
These ones involve one of those DIY procedures. Most dentists nowadays prefer to work with tray-based whiteners because they have constantly proved effective and will deliver desirable results within a short span of time. They are also super easy to use.
This is how they work…
In your whitening kit, you will find two bleaching trays that are professionally designed to fit into your upper and lower teeth.
To start whitening your teeth, simply coat the trays with the whitening gel then place them over your teeth.
You will then be required to wear the tray for a prescribed period of time i.e overnight or several hours in a day for a series of days or weeks.
Whitening Strips
Whitening strips have a long history of user satisfaction and effectiveness. They have been in use since early 2000 and are currently gaining huge popularity for the good job they do. The strips are known for delivering quick results which last for at least four months. I would say that is very accommodating considering how downright cheap they are.
This is how the Whitening Strips work…
The strips are essentially made of small pieces of polyethene.
Polyethene is a flexible plastic that will neatly mould on the surface, edges and in between your teeth enamel.
The strips are coated with gel treatments containing hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. These essential whitening ingredients will react with the moisture available in your mouth and oxidize in the process enabling them to easily and efficiently get into the part of the enamel that the ugly stains seek refuge.
The peroxide part of the ingredients will whiten the teeth while an acid called urea that is formed from the oxidation will do the nasty job of breaking the bonds that hold the stains together allowing the whitening to spread throughout your teeth.
The strips will most likely come in two sets; one for your upper teeth and the other for your lower teeth.
They will also come with an instruction manual on how to use and how long to leave the strips on your teeth.
The strips usually come in two types: those that require you to put them on your teeth for about an hour then remove them and those that will automatically dissolve in your saliva and do not require removing.
The strips are insanely cheap ranging from about $20 to $30 in many drugstores.
