Professional Teeth Whitening

Everyone dreams of having a perfectly white smile. But certain things, such as coffee, red wine, and smoking can all work against this goal by staining and yellowing your teeth. Many people who have little time (but lots of disposable income) flock to their dentist for a professional teeth whitening treatment. But is that really the best option? We’ll take an in-depth look at several different popular treatments, and you can decide for yourself once you have all the facts.

In-Office Professional Teeth Whitening

Often referred to as “power whitening” or “power bleaching”, this is the most popular form of professional teeth whitening. If you’ve ever seen anyone on TV or in person with an impossibly white smile, odds are that they paid for a professional whitening treatment from their dentist.

In-office professional teeth whitening involves having your dentist place a highly concentrated gel, often containing peroxide or other chemical whitening agents, directly to your teeth. They may also apply a rubber guard to protect your gums and other soft tissues inside your mouth. Many will often try to enhance the whitening process by shining a specialized UV light on your teeth while the gel is in place. In a single one hour treatment, you can brighten your smile by about 8-10 shades on average. The results are immediate, and can last up to a year if you take care of your teeth properly.

However, the process isn’t cheap. A single professional whitening treatment in-office starts around $650, and if you or your dentist aren’t completely satisfied with the results, you may need to purchase a professional kit for at-home use, which is an additional $400 or more. Despite your dentist’s best efforts, you may also experience tooth or gum sensitivity, and you may need to get an expensive Rx toothpaste or mouth rinse to alleviate the pain. So if you want to use professional whitening to get your perfect smile, budget at least $1,500 for the total cost of the treatment – just to be on the safe side.

At-Home Professional Teeth Whitening

If you want to save a little money and skip an in-office treatment, your dentist will sell you a professional teeth whitening kit for use in the comfort of your own home. The kit will contain the same type of bleaching agent that you would receive during an in-office treatment, but at a lower concentration to help prevent tooth and gum sensitivity.

As mentioned above, these professional whitening kits can cost several hundred dollars. And because of the strength of the bleaching agent, the risk of pain and sensitivity is higher than with most non-professional whitening kits. It is still a bit cheaper than an in-office treatment, and you will get similar results (although it will take longer – most kits need to be applied daily for a week or more). Also, in order to make sure you spend your money on an authentic teeth whitening product, make sure you buy it directly from your dentist. There are lots of products on the internet who like to advertise their formula as “professional” or “professional-strength”, but it can be hard to know you’re getting the real thing unless you purchase directly from a professional.

Is Professional Teeth Whitening Really the Best Option?

You have to consider all of your options before making a decision about your teeth. A beautiful smile is one of the first things people notice about you – and you can’t afford to mess that up by wasting money on a bad professional teeth whitening treatment.

If money is a factor, then professional whitening might not be the right option for you. As mentioned earlier, it is an expensive process, and most people need to stretch their dollar as far as they can these days. Not all of us have the luxury of being able to afford an expensive professional teeth whitening treatment. However, if you have an important event coming up, such as a wedding or a graduation where having a bright smile can make or break your day, most would prefer to shell out the money for professional whitening for the speedy and reliable results.

If you’re still on the fence about professional teeth whitening, there are many products out there which will give you similar results for a fraction of the price. You might want to try one of them first before choosing the more expensive option. We’ve tested dozens of them ourselves, and compiled a list of the top 10 contending products for your convenience.

Click here to see our reviews of their strengths and weaknesses!