Whitening teeth is something your dentist does all the time. You just may not realize it. Whenever you visit your dentist to have your teeth cleaned, you leave with teeth that are at least a little bit whiter than they were when you arrived. While you sit here in the chair, your dentist or hygienist is busy removing all the plaque that has build up since your last visit. Once teeth are cared for and flossed they are cleaner and therefore, whiter.
It's just like what happens when you wash and polish your car. You don't repaint it. You simply remove the layer of dirt and add polish and those actions make your car look brighter.
The teeth whiteners you see advertised though are different. This type of whitening process is not part of routine dental care. It is a separate procedure that is done either in a dentist's office or at home. The process uses bleaching agents to lighten tooth color by as few as two to as many as nine shades.
If you've ever splashed bleach on coloured clothes or gone from being a brunette to a brunette to a blond, you know that bleach strips away colour. And that's what it does when applied to your teeth. The key ingredient in teeth whiteners is hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent. When applied, the bleaching agent permeates the tiny holes in the tooth's enamel. When stains on teeth come into contact with the bleaching agent they are, over a period of time, decolourized or stripped of their colour. As the darker-coloured stains are lightened, teeth taken on the appearance of being whiter. All teeth whitening products work in a similar way.
But because the term "bleaching" sounds so harsh the term "whitening" is used instead. Think about it. Would you rather have your teeth bleached or would you rather have them whitened? Most people wouldn't want their teeth bleached. But hardly anyone would object to having their teeth whitened. So whitening became a better word to use to help market this type of dental service. The strength of the bleaching agent used on teeth depends on whether it's an "at home" whitening produce or on that is designed for professional use. More on the differences later.