Questions about teeth whitening and whitening products?

Question by Archer: Questions about teeth whitening and whitening products?
What is the average cost of professional teeth-whitening?
And are there any teeth-whitening products you have tried and would recommend?


Best answer:

Answer by Bassets4Life
The best way to whiten one's teeth is to do it professionally this way the results will be far safer and more pronounced then if one were to use a generic teeth whitening product like Crest White Strips.

The reasoning behind this is that if you go to a dentist and get your teeth professionally whitened, you are doing this in a controlled manner. You are given usually two carpules of whitening gel to start with, usually carbomide peroxide which is at a higher percentage of peroxide then that of Crest White strips etc. and the whitening is controlled by that of your dentist, so therefore you are not damaging your teeth by whitening too frequently, leaving the trays in for too long etc.

When you use a product like Crest White strips you are at your own mercy. I have used both professional whitening products and have used Crest White strips and the differences were quite noticeable. After using Crest White strips Premium, I had quite significant sensitivity to colds. Even breathing in air caused my teeth to hurt and the results were not that great. As well with Crest White strips it is really hard to keep the lower strip onto your teeth without your saliva washing some off, you accidentally ingesting it etc. It tastes really gross, not to mention excess swallowing of peroxide gel can cause you to have a sore throat and possibly become sick. Hence is why I don't recommend drugstore whitening kits.

With a professional tooth whitening system such as Opalescence Xtra Boost Whitening System, you actually get a custom made tray made to specifically fit your teeth. This way you don't accidentally ingest any of the whitening gel, and you are able to wear the whitening trays without having to worry about your saliva getting in the way.

A dentist/dental assistant will take a alginate impression of your teeth, then will pour up a stone model of your teeth. They will then take a vacuum former and seal this over the stone model creating a tray, they will cut it, smooth it out and you have your tray.

I would highly suggest the Opalescence whitening system, as I have tried it myself and the results were great, no sensitivity to cold afterwards and no ingesting of the peroxie. The key with this product though is using it sparingly and giving yourself time between applications as it has a higher percentage of peroxide than that of Crest White strips therefore you can damage your teeth if not monitored.

Average prices for this product are $ 250 to $ 500 and the prices don't include alginate impressions, study model and whitening tray. However, this is FAR more pricier than Crest White strips, $ 50 for Crest White Strips Premium, I think you will get far better results and be more pleased with the Opalescence.

I DO not however recommend the Zoom whitening as it can be very damaging and painful to teeth.
Here's more info:
http://www.ultradent.com/pressroom.php?id=3

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