Are you unhappy with the state of your teeth color? Knowing that others are looking at your stained teeth can really make you not feel like smiling – which will affect your overall demeanor. The people around you may notice your attitude and it can affect your social life – and possibly your professional one. Well. you can get teeth whitening strips at the store, but they can be unreliable and they take much longer. It’s better to have that done at the dentist’s office. The dentist will use either a carbamide- or hydrogen peroxide-based whitening gel. Also, they may use a halogen light to get the highest amount of white – usually about 8 shades whiter. You see more teeth whitening benefits when a professional does it.

 At first glance it may seem that you are getting a “bargain” with home products, like whitening trays, LED pens or whitening strips, compared to a professional whitening, but the amount spent on these products tends to accumulate for little or no end result, and at the end of the day you have spent considerably more time and effort than any money you paid for a professional whitening. You know you’re going to get results at the dentist’s office with the ZOOM whitening gel, which contains 22% carbamide peroxide, usually good for sensitive teeth and gums. The results are there with ZOOM: 6-8 shades whiter. Not so with the at-home products… where you’re not even entirely sure that you’re doing it correctly. The people at the office are trained how to do teeth whitening correctly, and that’s well worth the cost – plus it only takes a couple of hours. If you do want an at-home kit, the professionals can make one that they know has been proven to get the results that you want over the commercial ones that you get over-the-counter.

When you do the over-the-counter at-home whitening, it might work… to an extent. When the professionals do the teeth whitening, they are much more detail-oriented. Whereas when you do it, you apply the strips and hope for the best… though you need to prepare to be disappointed. You will be much more pleased with the results of the office visit.

Another thing about these at-home items is that you have to wait a while until you see something. It’s not going to be like those commercials where you see someone apply a strip to their mouth and then you suddenly see them with a dazzling smile. There may be a disclaimer about the actual time, but it’s barely visible. Whereas when you go to a dentist’s office, you’ll get a noticeable result with just one visit.

When you get the over-the-counter product, you’re not going to be able to customize your results. That’s not the case with having a professional do it. They can vary the levels of whiteness to your likeness. That’ll really make you smile.