White teeth are admired in many countries. Movies, advertising, and social media have made very white teeth something people strongly desire. For many years, people used peroxide-based chemicals to whiten their teeth. However, these chemicals can harm teeth and gums. Researchers in China have now developed a new ceramic powder for whitening teeth. According to researcher Min Xing, it is “a safe, at-home strategy that combines whitening, enamel repair, and oral health balance.” The powder works with an electric toothbrush. The vibrations create a small electric field, which produces “reactive oxygen species.” These break down the molecules that cause stains. In laboratory tests, teeth stained by tea and coffee became whiter. After four hours of brushing, there was visible improvement. After twelve hours, the teeth were 50% whiter compared to those cleaned with salt water. The researchers plan to add this powder to toothpaste in the future.
白牙在許多國家都受到讚賞。電影、廣告和社交媒體讓非常白的牙齒成為人們強烈渴望的事物。多年來，人們使用過氧化物化學品來美白牙齒。然而，這些化學品可能會傷害牙齒和牙齦。
中國的研究人員現在已經研發出一種新的陶瓷粉末，用於牙齒美白。研究員邢敏表示，這是一種「安全的居家美白策略，結合了美白、琺瑯質修復以及口腔微生態平衡，以促進長期的口腔健康」。這種粉末需要搭配電動牙刷使用。牙刷的震動會在牙齒表面產生微小的電場，進而生成「活性氧物種」。這些化合物能分解造成牙齒染色的分子。
在實驗室測試中，被茶和咖啡人工染色的牙齒變得更白。刷牙四小時後，牙齒已有明顯改善。刷牙十二小時後，牙齒比用鹽水刷的白了 50%。
研究人員表示，他們的下一步是將這種粉末加入牙膏配方中。
Lesson Activities
- Vocabulary Practice
- admire 欣賞
- peroxide 過氧化物
- enamel 琺瑯質
- powder 粉末
- stain 污漬
- Comprehension Questions (中英雙語)
- Why are white teeth popular? 為什麼白牙很受歡迎？
- What problem do peroxide whiteners cause? 過氧化物美白劑有什麼問題？
- How does the new ceramic powder work? 新的陶瓷粉末是如何作用的？
- What is the next step for the researchers? 研究人員的下一步是什麼？
