Teeth Whitening Options – Pros and Cons

Teeth whitening is the trend these days. Everybody wants a bright, attractive smile. Unfortunately, some of us lose that nice white brightness in our teeth as we age. For most people, this happens due to repeated exposure to staining agents in tea, coffee, soda, and some foods. For a few, dingy teeth are the result of taking certain kinds of medications (such as tetracycline). Whatever the cause, it’s nice to know there are teeth whitening products and procedures available that will restore whiteness to your teeth. Here are some of those choices, along with some pros and cons to help you make an informed decision.

Over-The-Counter Home Teeth Whitening Options

There are several options to whiten your teeth at home. The least expensive is using a whitening toothpaste. You’ll find several major brands on the shelf at your local store. But, don’t expect to see dramatic improvement.

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Whitening toothpastes typically use a mild abrasive and chemicals like peroxide to remove surface stains on teeth. Most people see slight improvement, but not the true whitening they desire. It can also take a while before any noticeable results appear.

Along the same lines as toothpastes, you can purchase teeth whitening strips. These are thin sheets of gelled chemicals that you place over your teeth for about an hour. They are inexpensive, but produce only modest results.

Of the at-home teeth whitening methods you can purchase, the most effective are the tray-and-gel kits. This teeth whitening system consists of a soft rubber mouthpiece or tray, and a bottle of whitening gel. You heat up the tray and put it in your mouth to form a corresponding mold of your teeth. Then the gel, which typically consists of peroxide and a bleaching agent, is applied to the tray and worn over your teeth for anywhere from a few minutes per day to overnight for weeks. It really depends on how much whitening you desire and the level of sensitivity your gums have to the chemicals. Some people cannot use the trays for more than a few minutes at a time, while others experience no discomfort. This method will cost significantly more than the toothpastes or strips, but you can still expect to get a good product for under $100. 

Professional Teeth Whitening Options

If you’re really serious about getting your teeth whiter, and if you have some bucks to spend on it, having a dentist do the whitening is the way to go. It’s much faster than any store-bought method, and the results will be much more dramatic as well.

The first (and older) professional whitening method involves a custom version of the tray-and-gel home system mentioned earlier. Your dentist will create a mouthpiece tray from a mold of your teeth, and provide you with a special gel that goes into the tray before the tray goes in your mouth. So far, it sounds identical to the retail product, right?

Well, the way to think about the difference is to think of the size of a sailboat compared to the Titanic. Most retail whitening systems use peroxide and a chemical bleaching agent in tiny percentages. Enough to give you some results, but not much improvement. The professional teeth whitening system your dentist will devise will most likely use a substance called carbamide peroxide. This is the serious stuff! Depending on how badly stained your teeth are when you start using it, you can expect up to 12 shades of whiteness improvement. Compare that to the 1-2 shades of improvement that toothpastes and strips produce and the 4-7 shades a retail tray-and-gel system boasts.

The one downside to using a professional system like this is the cost. Most insurers will not cover teeth whitening because it’s considered cosmetic and, therefore, elective. Expect to shell out several hundred dollars.

The latest whitening process is actually done in your dentist’s office, while you sit in the chair. Commonly called laser teeth whitening, this process involves first applying a bleaching gel to your teeth, then using a small plasma arc light or laser to apply extreme heat in ultra-quick bursts to the gel. The gel then rapidly oxidizes, which in turn eliminates the stains on your teeth that cause the dinginess.

This procedure is generally safe and produces the fastest possible whitening results. It’s possible to see dramatic whitening in just one 30- or 60-minute session. But it will cost you. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $600-$1000.

The Best Tooth Whitening Method

In the end, the best teeth whitening solution for you is the one that makes you confident when you smile. Cosmetic dentists recommend that people interested in whitening explore the less expensive retail options first to see if the results make them happy. There’s no sense in spending hundreds of dollars unnecessarily, when a much cheaper solution may actually do the trick.

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