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In a world that’s becoming increasingly eager to minimize their perceived imperfections, dental hygiene has taken on a new degree of importance among patients who are looking to show off the whitest teeth they can with no signs of crookedness or imperfections.
Sadly, at the same time, it can be difficult to ensure that our teeth remain free from daily wear and tear and staining from the likes of wine, coffee and tobacco.
(Image: Raconteur)
The global cosmetic dentistry market is set to reach a value of almost £30bn in the near future, and much of this accelerated growth will be driven by the development of new technologies that are designed to make tooth whitening approaches considerably more effective and noticeable for patients.
But what approaches are driving the future of technology? And how expensive will they be? Let’s take a deeper look at some of the most effective approaches to keeping our teeth white that are already available on the market while exploring the technology that makes them so successful:
AI Toothbrushes
Artificial intelligence has grown to all-encompassing levels in recent years, so it’s perhaps unsurprising to see it punctuate the world of healthcare and dentistry too.
AI toothbrushes have begun to creep on to highstreet shelves, and Oral-B’s $220 Genius X electric toothbrush is one of the early market leaders.
(Image: Big Data Made Simple)
The influence of AI in global healthcare markets will grow exponentially over the coming decade, and it provides users with an opportunity to provide their teeth with a cleaning experience that’s much more comprehensive – leading to healthier – and whiter – teeth.
The toothbrush connects to a smartphone app via Bluetooth that maps out the inside of your mouth and learns which areas are subject to neglection as you brush. The app will also show a timer to help you to regulate your brushes while offering advice on where to position your toothbrush next.
What’s more, is that the toothbrush uses sensors to learn when too much pressure is being applied or where a specific area isn’t getting enough attention and sends data to the app in order to display a summary of your cleaning. It’s even possible for the app to provide a rating based on your brushing competence.
Of course, the act of brushing our teeth is the primary way of ensuring that we maintain a level of dental hygiene that extends way beyond the physical appearance of our teeth. But what about those of us who have otherwise healthy teeth but suffer from blemishes that affect the coloration of our teeth?
Home LED Accelerator Kits
LED accelerator kits promise to provide users with noticeable results. Working alongside a tooth whitening agent, the LED light itself doesn’t turn your teeth white, but it does speed up the reaction your teeth have to the whitening agent.
LED teeth whitening kits have been developed for home use and with manufacturers opting for LED lights as opposed to more harmful UV options, the procedure is relatively straightforward and safe – however, it’s important to ensure that you read instructions before applying any whitening agents because they could be bleach-based solutions.
The great thing about the arrival of LED accelerator kits is that they’re available at prices that won’t break the bank, and good products can be found for less than £50.
Whitestrips
Tooth whitening strips are another cost-effective option that allows users to utilize the same enamel-safe teeth whitening agents that dentists use all within their own home.
Whitestrips like Crest’s whitening strips have been developed to remove up to 14 years of accumulated stains and the product promises results to begin to show within three days.
What’s more, is that this particular approach is relatively non-invasive in the sense that users simply have to apply their strips and leave them for around 30 minutes.
The whitening agents used in Whitestrips are nothing new here, but the flexible technology that ensures each strip molds and seals to various different mouths in a way that allows users to continue to talk and drink water is a huge step towards ensuring a greater level of comfort in the pursuit of pearly whites.
With prices starting at just under £20 (~$30), Whitestrips are a cheap option for users who are aiming to dip their toes into the water of naturally white looking teeth.
Laser Whitening
The rise in popularity of tooth whitening brought with it some altogether more costly and heavy-duty solutions. Cosmetic dentists soon found that using lasers of similarly calibrated lights to speed up the chemical reactions of whitening solutions could be a highly effective service to consumers who were eager to see effective results.
The use of laser whitening helped to produce results at a fraction of the time required to make just whitening solutions work, and unlike peroxide-based whitening, these new and advanced laser techniques must be undertaken with the supervision of a qualified dentist.
All these forms of tooth whitening work by releasing oxygen ions from an accompanying gel. This lifts stains from the teeth. However, utilizing lasers can speed up this process by a significant margin, and it can even bleach teeth on a one-at-a-time basis – which could be especially useful if some teeth are more discolored than others.
Sadly, because of the technology and the need for professional supervisors, laser whitening isn’t cheap – and can set patients back between £500 to £1,500.
Looking To The Future
As the cosmetic dentistry industry continues to hurtle towards achieving a value of £30bn, it’s reasonable to expect further developments in technology to hit high street shelves before long.
Incorporating more AI solutions into toothbrushes and whitening services will ensure that users achieve the results that they want while the use of augmented reality will help both dentists and patients to visualize procedures to provide added clarity.
It’s fair to say that while the products above will help to bring widespread satisfaction to users, a bright future of more intuitive services and more efficient tooth whitening approaches is just around the corner.
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