From a dental professional to you:
First off...remember that no amount of whitening, whether it be laser bleaching or whitening strips, will ever replace a HEALTHY mouth. I see tons of patients that only want 'white teeth' and care little about cavities, function, bite, wisdom teeth, ect. Its like a clean shiney Porsche with no engine in it...pretty useless.
WHITE TEETH DOES NOT EQUAL HEALTHY TEETH.
So ask yourself this question first. Are you a huge coffee drinker, smoker, red wine drinker, soda drinker, bad oral hygiene, etc...because chances are, your teeth will not bleach well. Remember ANY AND ALL methods of teeth bleaching CAN AND WILL re-stain over time.
Here is a breakdown of the most common bleaching systems:
Crestwhite Strips - First the most affordable method. Around $30 USD. They are used to whiten teeth half a shade to a shade whiter. They are a pain in the butt to use and generally requires a person to wear two upper and lower strips that go canine to canine for half an hour in the morning and night. This requires a lot of discipline. THEY DO WORK. And the work well...ONLY for people who have great hygiene, don't smoke, drink coffee, tea, red wine, or soda....if you are lazy about your hygiene, forget about this method.
ZOOM Laser bleaching - The quickest method of tooth bleaching out there. It can get the teeth up to 5 shades whiter, or to a patien'ts preference, within an hour, hour and a half appointment. The results are amazing. This is what the typical Hollywood actor does. The draw back for such convenience is a hefty price. Laser bleaching runs anywhere from $500 and up depending on dentist. And remember, IT WILL RE-STAIN! So..if you want to touch it up...you have to pay another $500 and up to get the teeth back to super white.
Custom Bleach Trays - Of the office bleaching options, this is the one I'd recommend to most patients. In an office appointment, impressions are made of your upper and lower arches. Custom bleach trays are created and the patient is sent home with professional bleaching gels which the patient uses, per dentist instruction. Usually, the patient uses the bleach trays at home about 45 minutes for 4 days. The result is 4-5 shades of whiter teeth. The cost of custom fit trays are around $400 for upper and lower arches. The bleach gels run around $30. The nice thing about this method is that the trays are used by the patient forever, granted the patien'ts teeth dont shift or new dentistry is placed. The nice thing about the trays that when you want to re-bleach the teeth, you only pay the cost of the $30 bleeching gel. Saves huge amounts of money vs. Laser Bleaching
Caution about all bleaching:
*First side effect of bleaching is sensitivity to cold. If used as directed, the sensitivity will subside quickly. But, many people abuse bleaching because they want that SUPER WHITE look. It comes with a price...let's just say forget about eating icecream.
*Bleach kits will NOT bleach tooth colored fillings, crowns, veneers, bridge work implants, and other restorative material.
*Remember, health over beauty.
*Talk to your dentist or hygienist of all your treatment options...only he/she knows enough about your dental health to give you the best advice.
