Teeth Whitening Options

Want to make your teeth whiter? Find out what are your options on various types of teeth whitening methods available that can help you brighten and whiten your smile.

Teeth whitening should not be such a big concern nowadays, as there are now many options available for you to take advantage to make your teeth whiter again. However, how much you’re willing to invest will directly impact your results. Let’s take a look at the various teeth whitening options available based on cost, results and time investment and you decide which options is best for you.

In-Office Professional Teeth Whitening

Cost: From $400 to $1200.

In-office teeth whitening offers excellent results and you can expect to enhance your smile 7 to 10 shades in as little as an hour. However, this teeth whitening option is rather expensive and a single visit can cost up to a few hundred dollars each time. The exact cost will vary depending on the system and technology used by your cosmetic dentist.

However, there are some dental plans that offer discounts and savings for various cosmetic dentistry. Click here to find out more.

In most in-office teeth whitening, your dentist will first places a dental dam in your mouth to protect your gums before applying a professional-strength peroxide whitening gel to your teeth. The whitening gel is then applied to the teeth for several times, and each time, it is kept for about fifteen to twenty minutes. At this point a laser may or may not be directed at the teeth to help activate the bleaching gel and speed up the process. Some gel formulations are self-activating and do not require a laser to give you whiter teeth.

The entire process takes almost an hour to complete and, when done, one will get sparkling white teeth.

However, patients who suffer from really bad stains or discoloration will need to go back to the dentist for more follow up visits. Most of the time, patients will also receive a take home teeth whitening kit to continue the treatment on a regular basis at home.

(Read more about laser teeth whitening)

Professional Teeth Whitening Kits

Cost: From $49 to $110

There are several professional teeth whitening kits available on the market and most of them can be acquired from your dentist, online or over the counter.

These teeth whitening kits work very similarly to the in-house dental procedures, using a peroxide gel, and comes with a mouth tray that you can customize to attach to your teeth. Typically, you will self apply the gel into the mouth trays and wear them each night for the recommended amount of time. Each kit will also comes with a desensitizing gel or remineralization gel to be use after each teeth whitening session to help protect your teeth from sensitivity.

The main advantages for using teeth whitening kits are that they are convenient and a more affordable way to help improve the appearance of your smile. The disadvantage however, is that the bleaching gels used in the home whitening kits are less concentrated than the in-office whitening procedure, and, therefore you will need to use it several times over the course of 1 to 3 weeks to achieve maximum results.

(Read more about teeth whitening kits)

Teeth Whitening Strips

Cost: From $24.99 - $49.97

Sold over the counter, teeth whitening strips are thin, flexible pieces of plastic that contain a small coating of peroxide bleaching agent. Fairly easy to use, most of them can help to remove surface stains, leaving your teeth noticeably whiter after a few weeks.

However, one major complaint is that the strips don’t conform well to the shape of the teeth and will only bleach the area of the teeth that comes into contact with the strip. This can cause the front teeth to whiten while the edges of the teeth to stay yellow.

Some people may also experience tooth sensitivity or gum irritation when using teeth whitening strips. This is temporary and not harmful.

(Read more about teeth whitening strips)

Teeth Whitening Toothpastes

Cost: From $6.35 - $30

Teeth whitening toothpastes can be helpful after you have already used any one of the other more powerful teeth whitening options.

Practically, they can only be used to remove mild surface stains on the teeth or help retain the whiteness of your treated teeth but they cannot bleach or whiten your teeth. You can consider yourslef lucky if your teeth even manage to whiten one shade from the use of a whitening toothpaste.

(Read more about teeth whitening toothpaste)

If you're interested to know more, consult your dentist on the best teeth whitening options that will best suit your needs.

Alternatively, if you're looking to try out any home whitening kits, look for the American Dental Association (ADA) or the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seal of acceptance on professional teeth whitening products.

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