I went to my dentist to price teeth whitening. He uses this special light machine that whitens your teeth right there in the office. The cost was way above what I could do. I was wondering if those over-the-counter teeth whitening strips do any good. Ideally, I’d like something I can do at home.
Ben
Dear Ben,
It sounds like your dentist offers Zoom Whitening. There are options that will allow you to whiten your teeth at home with professional strength gel, but before we go into that, let’s go over your question about over-the-counter whitening strips. The only one of these I would recommend is Crest Whitestrips, but before you run out to the store, I want you to understand its limitations.
Crest Whitestrips are Much Weaker
As a means of consumer protection, over-the-counter whitestrips you purchase will not be nearly as strong as what you would get through a dentist. For instance, Crest Whitestrips, which does work, only has a 6% concentration. What you’d get with your dentist has around 33%. This means you would have to purchase significantly more kits to get the same level of whitening.
Crest Whitestrips Only Covers Your Front Six Teeth
In addition to being weaker, the strips will only cover your front six teeth. Most smiles are eight to ten teeth wide. This means you will have to use more strips with each use, costing you even further.
Crest Whitestrips Tend to Whiten Unevenly
Unless you have just completed a cleaning with your dentist the results are going to be spotty. The cleaner areas are going to get more of the whitening gel than those which have some film over them. This film is often invisible to the human eye so you won’t be aware of it.
You Can Get Professional Whitening at Home
Your best option is to have take-home teeth whitening done by your dentist. If he doesn’t offer it there are plenty who do. They can make you custom-fitted trays that will allow you to whiten your teeth at your convenience. They’re discreet enough where you can wear them while running your errands or just overnight while you sleep if you prefer.
This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.