Teeth are one feature that can disclose your real age. Regrettably, teeth darken as we age, and that dazzling, white smile that you had in your youth may turn dingy and yellow by the time you reach middle age. This is especially true if you smoke or drink tea and coffee. Although your dentist can offer methods that employ strong bleach formulations to quickly whiten your teeth, this can run into quite a bit of money. Because of this, many people use teeth whitening toothpastes to assist in lightening their stained teeth. Can you really expect white teeth by using toothpaste?

Of course, when you see commercials with actors flashing their dazzling, white smiles, you may get the impression that you too can have that dazzling smile if you just brush your teeth a few times with a particular teeth whitening toothpaste. Not surprisingly, these claims are overstated. If years of smoking and coffee drinking have taken their toll on your teeth, probably using toothpaste alone will not whiten your teeth adequately.

While stains may be removed and teeth brightened when teeth whitening toothpastes are used, most likely you will not notice a big difference in color. The abrasives and cleansers included in teeth whitening toothpastes are effective in cleaning the outer areas of the teeth. Some also have carbomide peroxide, a substance that can lighten tooth enamel. Sad to say, for some of those with discolored teeth, the issue goes beyond just the surface enamel. With age, the inner portion of the tooth, which is called the dentin, begins to darken. This causes the tooth to appear yellow, particularly as the outer enamel layer becomes thinner. Because whitening toothpastes cannot penetrate to the dentin layer, they are unable to whiten teeth sufficiently. The good thing about these products is that even though they are more abrasive than other toothpastes, by and large they are thought to be safe and will not significantly harm your teeth.

While toothpastes may not be able to provide deep level teeth whitening, they may be effective in getting rid of surface stains and slightly brightening teeth that have not experienced yellowing of the dentin. For really effective teeth whitening results, a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide is necessary and that can be found in dental teeth whitening systems, some of which can be ordered online. Even when high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide are utilized to bleach the teeth, it may not produce the desired results for those whose dentin has darkened.

What’s the bottom line here? While using toothpaste to whiten teeth is not effective, these toothpastes can help get rid of surface stains that can ruin your smile, and they are far less costly than having the procedure done by a dentist.