Teeth Whitening Procedures For The Rich And Poor

In the past few years, there has been an awful lot in the media about how to make your teeth whiter.  I think this is due to the fact that every magazine cover you see sports a beautiful celebrity showing off their pearly white teeth.  Having good teeth does improve your looks though.  Think about it for a second.  Generally speaking, people are at their most beautiful when there is a smile on their face.  Doesn't it make sense, then, that an improved smile would lead to improved looks?  Now, if you get on the Internet and start looking for advice on how to get brighter teeth, you'll probably be quite overwhelmed.  There is a ton of great information out there and I encourage you to seek it out.  That said, I felt it necessary to provide an article that clarified a few things.  In the text below, we'll discuss what to expect while undergoing three different types of teeth whitening procedures.

When people refer to teeth whitening procedures, they could be talking about a number of different things. This article breaks all your options into three different categories. The first one we'll go over is the office whitening procedure. Next, we'll look at take home kits. Lastly, we'll break down that over the counter whitening products are all about.  These options are priced in the order of how much they cost.  So if you're a bit on the stingy side, you may want to skip the first couple paragraphs...

An Overview Of Common Teeth Whitening Procedures

In office teeth whitening is, by far, the most popular cosmetic dentistry procedure that people undergo. Some of the common brand names that you'd recognize include Zoom! and Brite Smile Teeth Whiteners. Usually, a teeth whitening dentist will use one system that he's become familiar and comfortable with over the years. While there are slight differences between these systems, they are essentially the same. A typical procedure includes the use of a high concentration peroxide gel and some kind of a lamp - sometimes called a laser. The biggest advantage that these systems have over the other ones discussed below is the fact that the peroxide used is very strong. This gel can only be used by a professional, such as a dentist. Here's how a typical procedure goes down. The dentist starts with a very thorough check-up and cleaning. This is done to ensure that your teeth are healthy and clean before the whiteners are applied. If there are serious problems with your teeth, the doctor will not proceed with the procedure. If all is OK, some dental dams are placed into the patient's mouth. These protect the gums from getting bleached. The peroxide gel is then painted onto the surface of every tooth. This process takes about 15 minutes. A second coat of gel is then applied. After setting for another 15 minutes, a lamp is placed above the patient's mouth. This lamp causes a reaction in the gel that ensures every part of all the teeth is whitened by the end of the process. Because of the lamp, these procedures are sometimes referred to as laser teeth whitening treatments. While the lamp does it's thing, the patient is welcome to rest or even watch TV. It usually only takes 20 minutes or so to have the desired effect. All in all, this teeth whitening procedure takes about an hour and costs $700. Of the three methods discussed in this article, this one is by far the best - as long as the price isn't a concern.

If the price of an office whitening treatment is a bit too expensive, you may want to consider a professional take home kit. These kits are provided by dentists for his or her patient's home use. They take on a few different forms but the most popular ones kind of look like mouth guards. There are two custom made mouth guards in most of these packages - one for the bottom set of teeth and one for the top. They use a similar kind of peroxide gel as the office treatment discussed above. This difference can be seen in the concentration of this gel. It's lower, and some would argue less effective, in these take home kits. This gel is usually pre-loaded into the mouth pieces to make the process very easy. With some products, the gel comes in syringe-like containers though. With these items, the gel is "shot" into the mouth guards right before they are put into the mouth. Common brand names you may want to consider include Discus and Ultradent. Talk to your dentist for more information. These take home whitening kits cost between $200-$400.

The final type of whitening procedure we're going to discuss is the least complicated. We're talking about over the counter whiteners here. These products are pretty straightforward and always include detailed instructions on how to apply. The most popular OTC whitening products are definitely found in the Crest Whitestrips category. These little pieces of tape have a bit of peroxide gel on one side. They are simply stuck on the surface of every tooth and left there for about 30 minutes. The biggest downside to these strips is the fact that they usually require two of these 30 minutes sessions - every day for about 10 days. This is kind of a pain in the butt if you ask me. Results are also not near as noticeable as the office or take home whitening treatments. The price is right though. You can get Crest Whitestrips for about $30.

Well, I hope this clears up a few things. As I mentioned above, do a lot of research before deciding on which teeth whitening procedure is right for you. Good luck!