Teeth Whitening: At Home vs. In-Office
Your smile is often one of the first things people will notice about you, therefore it is important for you to give off the best version of yourself and truly make a lasting, good first impression. The best way to accomplish that is with a set of freshly cleaned, pearly white teeth! This is why teeth whitening has become so popular across the world, especially the US. From the latest Instagram ads showing off new, UV-teeth whitening, to easy to use, at home whitening gels – teeth whitening has become one of the most popular DIY cosmetic treatments around these days. And while these products are continuously rising in popularity, many wonder if they can truly offer the same effectiveness as a professional teeth whitening from your dentist. As the Top Dentist Queens has to offer, Dr. Bella Normatov has helped countless patients achieve their dream smiles. While there’s no substitute for more intricate dental extractions, veneers and more – many of her patients often ask how effective these at home teeth whitening devices really are. To better help patients to understand what teeth whitening truly entails, here is some important information to know.
What Do Whitening Products Entail?
The vast majority, if not all effective whitening products use varying strengths of a peroxide solution. The milderwhitening agents may have a peroxide concentration of below 10%, while stronger ones can contain upwards of 40-50%. According to Dr. Normatov, the top dentist Queens has to offer, the biggest difference between take home products like whitening strips, and professional whitening solutions is that the at home variety has a much lower concentration of peroxide. Professional, dental-grade whitening solutions are much stronger concentrations.
How Does Teeth Whitening Work?
The one thing that patients must be aware of is that teeth whitening, no matter how effective, can only make your teeth as white as their natural color. Teeth whitening does not color or stain the teeth, but rather removes layers of stain. This is determined by the thickness of the enamel layer over your teeth, and the yellow color of the dentine beneath it. Even the top dentist Queens has in practice, Dr. Normatov, can only remove stains from the enamel of the teeth, including things like nicotine stains, coffee, food or wine stains. No whitening agent can hide the yellowing dentine layer from showing through.
Whitening Coverage
Another issue to be aware of when it comes to teeth whitening is the coverage of the whitening agent, and its effectiveness. As we have previously discovered, take home units simply offer a lower concentration of peroxide and therefore are less effective than dental teeth whitening, performed in-office. However, they still can work, but will simply take longer and require more treatments.
The coverage of the whitening agent refers to how much of the teeth it can whiten. Treatments like whitening strips only cover the front, visible parts of the teeth. While this will whiten the most visible parts of the teeth, it does not cover the entire area. Whereas, other take home trays and gel whiteners offer a more thorough whitening, that covers the entirety of the teeth. The same can be said for in-office, dental-grade whitening methods, as they generally offer the highest coverage as well.
In conclusion, while at home options are definitely effective, they simply cannot beat an in-office whitening procedure. However, then you must also factor in costs – in the event you do not have dental coverage, or your whitening treatment isn’t covered, you can easily spend 10 times more on a dental whitening that you would using an at home product. For more information on teeth whitening options, be sure to contact Soft Touch Dental today.
