Teeth Whitening is a cosmetic medication done to improve the appearance of teeth and the procedure involves using bleach or other components to make teeth look whiter. Teeth are whitened to remove the effects of coffee, cigarettes, and other materials that permanently contaminate or discolor teeth. Several treatments such as tetracycline and absorbing too much floride could impact tooth color and teeth also tend to loose their bright color with age.

Your dentist could give a whitening medication known as ‘chairside bleaching’, ‘in-office’, or ‘power bleaching’. After applying a protective gel to the patient’s gums and tissue, the dentist then applies a whitening solution, usually containing hydrogen peroxiden, to the surface of the teeth. This method will remove surface as well as deeper stains.

A professional teeth whitening treatment can take from thirty minutes to an hour to complete and may require additional treatments to achieve the desired results. You can expect to pay from $500 to $1,000 to whiten your entire mouth with laser treatments at the high end cost of $1,000 or more. However, there are advantages to in-house teeth whitening that may well justify the cost. Main advantages being speed, convenience, and outcome predictability as well as a dramatic change (nine to 10 shades lighter!) in only about an hour.

Teeth whitening is not safe or effective for everyone, so have a dental exam before starting treatment. Also, whitening may not work well on some stain colors so let your dentist advise you as to what results you should expect.

If you’d like to try to ‘do-it-yourself’, there are a lot of teeth whitening products which can be purchased over-the-counter at your local pharmacy. These come up with products which use bleach in mouthguard trays as well as strips and gels. The bleaching agent used in home products is basically carbamide peroxide, which is not as strong as the hydrogen peroxide professionals use, so the at-home whitening procedure will mostly take between two and three weeks. The great news is that OTC medications range in cost from only $20 to $150! Far less than the price of professional whitening.

Teeth whitening may sometimes cause temporary side effects such as sensitivity to hot and cold food and beverages or gum irritation if trays are being used and do not fit properly. These minor complaints usually end when treatment is completed.