Why Professional Teeth Whitening Puts Over-the-Counter Kits to Shame

Are you considering whitening your teeth? If so, you’re probably wondering what’s the difference between the kits you can buy over-the-counter at the drug store and going to a cosmetic dentist for a professional teeth whitening?

Basically, you get what you pay for. It all comes down to quality and precision. You can get some great effects with the take home kits, but you’ll get the best results from a professional teeth whitening. And going to the dentist is safer too!

Over the Counter Teeth Whitening

At home teeth whitening kits are great for removing surface and deeper stains — and they usually use the same ingredients as the professionals. The difference is in the amount of whitening agent used. A professional dentist is going to use a higher concentration of the chemicals because they are trained to be able to apply the whitening agent safely. Have you been to dental school? We didn’t think so. Since you’ll be applying the home kit, the stain remover isn’t as high of a grade. This way, you can’t do any major damage.

It can take weeks or even months to effectively whiten your teeth. And the truth is the whitening effects won’t last as long. And since you may have to do several treatments, you may not be saving much.

Professional Teeth Whitening

A cosmetic dentist takes a much different approach to teeth whitening. He or she will use hydrogen peroxide, which is more effective at stain removal than the carbamide peroxide in most whitening kits.

We also use trays custom designed for your mouth, as opposed to the generic trays you get in the take home kits. This provides a better seal for a more thorough whitening experience.

It’s also important to keep in mind that stains are not one size fits all. A dentist can whiten those areas that need it the most, so you get a more uniform whitening experience. The result is a beautiful, shiny smile without the missed areas you’ll find in the over the counter kits.