Most, if not all, people would like to make their smiles brighter and whiter. Today, if you want to whiten your teeth, you’re faced with a choice between professional in-office whitening or home-use products. Professional whitening procedure done by a dentist has certain advantages.
In-Office Whitening Advantages
In-office whitening won’t be the most popular cosmetic dental procedure in the world for no reason. Its main difference with at-home whitening is that it occurs in an environment with carefully monitored conditions and facilitated by a dental professional.
This nature of the procedure raises the effectiveness of in-office whitening significantly compared to at-home whitening. Through the dentist’s professional judgment, he or she can administer a dose of bleaching agent that’s of higher concentration than home-use products. The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry points out that it can make the teeth up to 10 shades lighter.
The results are not just better, but faster: the effects are immediately visible after the session. Plus, they last long; the teeth can retain the shade up to a year and more if the patient takes the proper measures for maintenance.
Your Dentistry Guide also emphasized that this is the safest way to whiten teeth. Again, this stems from the presence of professional supervision. The dentist can increase the bleaching agent concentration without going overboard. Every step of the process is precisely controlled, and everything is risk-free.
In terms of whitening trays, what you can buy over the counter is not custom-fit to your teeth, unlike appliances made at the dental office. This lack of proper fitting can lead to the whitening agent leaking and causing gum irritations, and thus even slower results.
A Few Caveats
When it comes to cost, in-office whitening will always be more expensive than its home-use counterparts. However, that’s only if you take into account upfront costs. Comparing the quality and speed of results, you get far more value for money with professional teeth whitening.
If you live in Greenville, SC and are interested in whitening, it’s best to talk with dental offices such as Downtown Dental to find out the important details of how they handle the whitening procedure.
Sources:
Teeth Whitening, AACD
In-Office Teeth Whitening: Professional Advantages, Costs and Options, Your Dentistry Guide