Cosmetic Dentistry Daily

Skincare Daily > Cosmetic Dentistry > 4 Simple Factors to Consider For Teeth Whitening

4 Simple Factors to Consider For Teeth Whitening

By: Colin Cox

This article was authored by a non-health professional.

Posted Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Share on Facebook

Dentist or Do-It-Yourself

Are you going to get your dentist to do this job or are you going to Do-It-Yourself? This can be a tough decision to make. The following 4 considerations may assist your decision making:

1. How Much?

Cost is a major factor for many. For some it is can be the deciding factor. A whitening process performed by your dentist is certainly going to be the most expensive option. Prepare yourself for a total bill of many hundreds of dollars up to about $1200. The latest laser techniques will run to much more than that. Be aware therefore that if your bias is toward having a dentist do this for you rather than DIY, then you are likely to have to pay dearly for the service. Nothing against dentists of course, but consider their considerable personal wage as well as the considerable overheads of their practice, because you are paying for all of that.

D-I-Y on the other hand is comparatively inexpensive, running to a maximum of about $200, depending on the product you choose. If money is no object and you feel uneasy about doing the job yourself, then the dentist is an obvious choice to do the job for you. Dentists are generally more aggressive in their treatment approach and will achieve results faster. Home remedies will work equally well but take a little longer. If cost is important, then the DIY route is the obvious way to go.

2. Efficacy?

Efficacy, or the whitening effectiveness, of the treatment is another factor to consider. There is no doubt that the treatment by the dentist will be more effective, simply because he will adjust the strength of the whitening chemical to suit the task at hand. By contrast, do-it-yourself home preparations will always err on the side of caution with a more diluted chemical. This means that the DIY product will take longer to bring about the whitening desired by the user. The problem is always that one does not know beforehand how effective any treatment or type of product will be.

3. Speed?

If you are in a desperate hurry for good results, for a wedding, graduation or other photo opportunity, then the speed at which you can whiten your teeth may be a big part of your final decision on which way to go; dentist or DIY. Slower is sometime better as the gradual whitening is not so glaringly obvious to friends and colleagues.

4. Risks?

There is a risk of inflaming gums when whitening teeth. The chemicals used are essentially bleaching agents and exposure to these agents can cause irritation to sensitive gums. This is especially the case where trays are used and are required to remain in place for a longer time. Whitening Strips are next most likely culprits to cause a problem in this area and Tips, because of the method of application, are the least risky method.

People who read this article also read:

Copy Link

Please click anywhere inside the below box to select code and paste this code into any blog or website.

Subscribe eNewsletter
Email this article