related: stain-producing substances / tough stains / tips / faq’s

Home Bleaching

Home bleaching, having been validated through numerous studies and thousands of case histories, continues to be the method of choice by both dentists and patients. Dentist supervised home systems are far safer and much more effective than over-the-counter kits, although they are more expensive. With these systems the dentist makes a mold of your teeth and uses it to fabricate a pair of custom mouth trays which will exactly fit your teeth.

The Process. Your dentist will send you home with your trays, bleaching agent, and instructions for use. Each night for three to four weeks, you’ll place bleaching agent on the trays and place them in your mouth for a period of time specified by your dentist.  A brief visit or two back to your dentist ensures that you’re doing the home treatments correctly and allows your dentist to inspect your gums for any irritation.

Recommendation. Because the trays are custom made to fit your mouth, less bleaching agent is likely to be swallowed. Also, checking in with your dentist while you’re bleaching ensures that the procedure is going smoothly. It also allows your dentist to make sure the custom trays are fitting properly.

Cost. Home bleaching ranges between $150-$300 per arch ($300-$600 for all of your teeth) depending on your location.

 Power Bleaching

In-office bleaching is dentist applied.  It is heat enhanced, light enhanced, laser enhanced, or a combination of the three. These are the absolute quickest and most effective ways to whiten teeth but require a session at the dentist's office. There is usually less sensitivity associated with power bleaching. Even though it works on most patients, dramatic results may still take multiple appointments. And, most patients leave the office with a bleaching tray and syringe to maximize the result. Laser-enhanced bleaching, however, usually has a large whitening effect after the first treatment.

The Process. The dentist isolates and protects your lips, gums, and inside lining of your mouth. Next, a bleaching agent is applied to the teeth and a light source is applied to activate the bleaching agent.

Cost. The cost ranges from $200 to $500 per arch or $500-$1000 for the whole mouth (upper and lower set of teeth).

 Over-the-Counter Bleaching

Over-the-counter (OTC) bleaching systems are take home kits which you can buy at the local drug store, order by mail, or buy on the internet. Usually they are relatively inexpensive costing from $20 to $150. OTC treatments have a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide.  There are usually three steps involved: brushing, gel application, and rinse.  As mentioned, they tend to be relatively inexpensive compared to in-office treatments. However, there have been no clinical trials to prove their efficacy; they also tend to cause damage to the soft tissues.  When you bleach, existing composites/ resin fillings will remain the same color while the surrounding natural tooth structure will lighten.

The Process. A bleaching agent is applied to a mouth tray and the tray is then inserted into the mouth for 1-4 hours. Treatment lasts between 2-4 weeks. However, we recommend against using these kits for two reasons:

First, the vast majority of these kits contain a standard mouth tray. Because the trays are standardized (made to fit everyone), they end up not fitting anyone. The tray you use to bleach your teeth has to be a perfect fit, otherwise, you’ll spend more time bleaching your gums than your actual teeth. Not fun. Also, you may end up ingesting some of the bleaching agent.

Second, these kits don’t come with a dentist. You need your dentist to check your teeth and gums while you’re undergoing the process to determine if the bleaching is proceeding safely and to ensure that you are not injuring your teeth.

What to look for. While we do not recommend these systems, if you’ve made up your mind to take the risk, we recommend that you do the following when deciding which one to go with:

1) If possible try to use a kit that allows you to customize your mouth trays to some degree. Some systems come with moldable mouth trays which tend to fit your mouth better. While not as good as the mouth trays created by your dentist, they are better than standard stock trays included in most kits.

2) Try to find someone who has already used the system you’re considering; ask for their opinion.

3) While using the kit, if you experience prolonged discomfort, changes in the color of your gums (ie. they become red and inflamed), or increased sensitivity to hot or cold, stop wearing the trays and see your dentist immediately.