A lot of adults don’t like having stained or yellow teeth. So they’ll decide to have professional teeth whitening treatments to remove stains. And even to brighten up their teeth by making them a few shades whiter. Before considering any treatment option, you should consider the question, are professional teeth whitening worth it? Or are your better off with an over-the-counter teeth whitening kit?
Discolouration of teeth is a very common issue. Especially if you drink or eat food that is highly staining, such as spicy food, coffee or red wine. Most people are unwilling to give up on these foods and drinks for the sake of having white teeth. So instead, they will look at teeth whitening products to help resolve the problem.
Over -the-counter VS professional dental whitening treatments
No doubt having your teeth professionally whitened by your dentist is the fastest way to get the bright white smile you desire. Having teeth whitening treatments under the control and supervision of your dentist is much safer and much more effective than resorting to over-the-counter whitening products.
Over-the-counter teeth whitening products that you can use at home have very low concentrations of bleaching ingredients for safety reasons. Only a few years ago the teeth whitening industry was unregulated. Anyone without any form of dental training could administer teeth whitening treatments from health spas to beauty salons.
A huge number of people suffered from chemical burns and damage to their teeth and gums from these unregulated practitioners. Now the government has clamped down on the industry. This means only professionally trained dentists are allowed to offer professional teeth whitening.
Are home whitening products any good?
While it may seem cheaper and more convenient to use over-the-counter teeth whitening products, it can be more expensive than going to the dentist for your treatments in the long run. Because these whitening products that you can buy freely in chemists or supermarkets are made with a weak bleaching solution. This means you’ll need to buy more of these products and use them over a much longer period of time to get the whitening results that you want.
There are several whitening products that you can get over-the-counter. These include whitening toothpaste, whitening strips, and even gels that you apply to a tray and wear over your teeth.
The main issue with these home treatments is that the trays used with gel solutions don’t fit properly and the whitening dental strips are difficult to position and wear. It can be a lot easier and quicker to simply forgo these treatments and have an in-office whitening treatment under the supervision of an experienced dentist to get accurate and high-quality results.
The advantages of professional teeth whitening treatments
When you talk to anyone that has had professional in-office treatments from a dentist, they will tell you the results they experienced are far better than any treatment they could do alone. This will often make the extra cost of treatments with the dentist worth it in the end.
Under the supervision of your dentist, you will get a whitening treatment that is safer, more effective and far quicker than any DIY option. In fact, usually within two-weeks of professional treatment, you’ll get the results you want! Especially if your dentist combines bleaching agents with laser equipment, as this will stimulate the peroxide molecules for faster results on your whitening treatment.
If you’re interested in getting your teeth professionally whitened, please book an appointment to see your dentist today.