I was thinking of getting my teeth whitened with my dentist but after looking at some things online, it looks like I can do the same thing much cheaper with the over the counter stuff. One that I’m looking into is the Premium Home Whitening Kit. Would this be a useful kit for me to use?
Audrey
Dear Audrey,
Teeth Bleaching Trays
I’m glad you wrote. First, the good news. They do use a valid whitening ingredient, which is 35% carbamide peroxide. It will whiten your teeth. There are two other concerns to consider before making your final decision.
First, the trays are a problem. When you have professional teeth whitening done, your dentist will do it with custom-fitted teeth whitening trays. The trays for these are not going to be specifically fit to your bite. That means that it will allow your whitening gel to leak out of the tray, which lessens the amount of whitening you will get. It will also allow your saliva to get in, which will weaken the gel that does get on their teeth.
This means you will need to purchase quite a few kits to do the same amount of whitening that just one treatment with your dentist will do for you. This is not likely to save you a lot of money.
A second factor is that when you are not under the care of a dentist during your teeth whitening treatment, you risk additional problems. There is a post on another blog about a woman who ended up needing a root canal treatment because of over the counter whitening. This was because she had a tooth that was having problems that was undiagnosed.
You will also want to have your teeth cleaned before you get your teeth whitening done. Otherwise the results will be splotchy.
My recommendation is to do it through your dentist. I’m saying this as someone who will not be the one treating you so I do not get anything out of it. I just want you to get the best care possible.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.