What Type of Teeth Whitening Is Best For You?

If you are interested in receiving a teeth whitening treatment, visit our Albuquerque office to learn about all the different options available to you. We can help you determine which option is best for your specific needs and what kind of results you will see in a predetermined period of time.

There are many types of teeth whitening to choose from, including over-the-counter options, professional at-home whitening, and professional in-office teeth whitening. Some examples are:

Over-the-counter Teeth Whitening

Over-the-counter options normally come in the form of toothpaste, whitening gels, teeth whitening rinses, whitening trays, or whitening strips. Over-the-counter teeth whitening methods are normally the least expensive option when it comes to changing the shade of the teeth, but they are also the least effective option. The peroxide whitening agent in these solutions is not as high of a dose, so the results occur more slowly than and never as effectively as a professional option.

At-home Teeth Whitening

Dentists can prescribe at-home teeth whitening options if the patient prefers not to have a professional whitening treatment in the office. This option will provide more dramatic results, but still not as impressive results as an in-office whitening. At-home teeth whitening is still relatively affordable and is convenient for the times when the patient has the best opportunity to whiten the teeth at home without having to make an appointment.

Most at-home professional teeth whitening kits come with custom-designed whitening trays and a strong whitening gel that is more concentrated than store-bought products but less concentrated than an in-office option. In most cases, the patient will wear the tray for 30-60 minutes every day for a certain time period.

In-office Professional Teeth Whitening

In-office professional teeth whitening produces the most dramatic results in the least amount of time. In-office professional teeth whitening is the best, with an at-home professional whitening falling into second place. Our whitening agents have stronger concentrations of peroxide that get the job done faster while under the safe supervision of a dentist. One trip to our office for a professional teeth whitening will give the patient the same results as several weeks to months of using over-the-counter products.

High-power laser light can also increase the speed of whitening even more. Depending on the situation, we may even prescribe an at-home teeth whitening kit in addition to receiving an in-office treatment for the absolute best results.

Candidates for Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is a great cosmetic improvement option for most people since it is so low-risk. In order to see dramatic results, the patient needs to have mild to moderately stained teeth from everyday extrinsic staining (dark-colored foods and drinks like coffee, wine, berries, etc., or smoking and natural aging).

You can still visit our office for whitening if you have more severe intrinsic stains (from medications or tooth injury); however, the results you see may not be as dramatic. You should not receive teeth whitening treatment if you have untreated decay or gum disease at this time.

To learn more about the specific results, you will get from each teeth whitening option, make an appointment. We will evaluate your teeth and share with you what teeth whitening method is your best bet to gaining a whiter, more beautiful smile.