How does it whiten or bleach teeth?
Teeth become stained because 1. plaque on the surface of teeth absorbs the stain, or 2. the tooth itself absorbs the stain. Consequently, there are two types of whitening – extrinsic (on the surface) and intrinsic (below the surface). Extrinsic whitening is removing the stains from the surface by using an abrasive (i.e.: toothpaste, scraping, Dental Air Force® dental cleaner). Intrinsic whitening or bleaching is removing the stains below the surface with a bleaching agent (i.e.: professional bleaching or hydrogen peroxide with Dental Air Force®). The whitener in professional and home bleaching products is most commonly carbamide peroxide, which breaks down to hydrogen peroxide. Professional bleaching uses 16% carbamide peroxide, which is equivalent to the 3% hydrogen peroxide one buys retail. When you replace the water in the cup with hydrogen peroxide and clean your teeth twice a day, you achieve the same results as professional whitening gradually over about a one-month period. The w
