Your teens have two options when trying to achieve that pearly white, movie star smile; in office teeth bleaching and at-home care.
Both teeth whitening options utilize peroxide-based bleaching agents. With an in-office bleaching results are immediate, the relatively quick procedure requires patients to visit their dentist where he/she will use a much stronger bleaching solution than at-home kits.
Next, heat and light are used to speed up and intensify the whitening process. In the most dramatic cases teeth can get up to eight shades brighter requiring several 30 to 60 minute in-office visits. Some dentists utilize a process that takes only one 2-hour visit. This is known as the “Zoom system”. The price of an in office bleaching can range between $500 and $1000.
Now if you don’t have that kind of money on hand you can utilize one of the various at home bleaching options which can be equally effective but they do take considerably longer to produce noticeable results.
The most popular form of at-home bleaching is tooth whitening strips and gels. These are applied directly to the teeth with a brush or a thin strip. Strips typically cost about $25 and usually need to be applied twice a day for two weeks to produce that last four or more months.
A more aggressive form of at home bleaching is tray based tooth bleaching systems. With this system a tray resembling a mouth guard is filled with peroxide-based bleaching paste and worn for several hours during the day or while a patient sleeps. Tray based bleaching systems can be purchased over-the-counter for as low as $150.
There are also tooth whitening toothpastes which typically only work to remove surface stains and are best used in conjunction with another bleaching system. To keep your teeth nice and white avoid drinking black coffee, soda pop, Gatorade, and other sugary beverages!
Is Your Teen Considering Teeth Whitening?
