Teeth whitening is ideal for patients who have healthy, unrestored
teeth (no fillings) and healthy gums who would like a brighter smile.
Patients with yellow tones to their teeth respond best. But this
cosmetic procedure is not recommended for everyone.

Teeth Whitening Options

There are three general approaches:

• Whitening toothpastes
  

• At-home bleaching

• Over-the-counter whitening strips
• Over-the-counter whitening gels
• Over-the-counter tray-based bleaching systems (purchased at your local drug store, over the Internet, by mail)
• Dentist supervised tray-based whitening system (whitening supplies are purchased through your dentist's office)

• In-office bleaching, also called chairside bleaching or power bleaching

Whitening Toothpastes: All toothpastes
help remove surface stains through the action of mild abrasives. Some
whitening toothpastes contain gentle polishing or chemical agents that
provide additional stain removal effectiveness. Whitening toothpastes
can help remove surface stains only and do not contain bleach;
over-the-counter and professional whitening products contain hydrogen
peroxide (a bleaching substance) that helps remove stains on the tooth
surface as well as stains deep in the tooth. None of the home use
whitening toothpastes can come even close to producing the bleaching
effect you get from your dentist's office. Whitening toothpastes can
lighten your tooth's color by about one shade. In contrast,
light-activated whitening conducted in your dentist's office can make
your teeth three to eight shades lighter.

Whitening Strips and Whitening Gels:

• Whitening gels are clear, peroxide-based gels applied with a
  small brush directly to the surface of your teeth. Instructions
  generally call for twice a day application for 14 days. Initial results
  are seen in a few days and final results are sustained for about 4
  months. The retail cost for this product is about $15 for a 14-day
  treatment.

• Whitening strips are very thin, virtually invisible strips that
  are coated with a peroxide-based whitening gel. The strips are applied
  twice daily for 30 minutes for 14 days. Initial results are seen in a
  few days and final results are sustained for about 4 months. The retail
  cost for this product ranges from $10 to $55 for a 14-day treatment.

Both of these products contain peroxide in a concentration that is
much lower than the peroxide-based products that are used in your
dentist's office. Although some teeth lightening will be achieved, the
degree of whitening is much lower than results achieved with in-office
or dentist-supervised whitening systems. Additionally, use of over the counter products do not benefit from the close supervision of your dentist ? to
determine what whitening process may be best for you, to check on the
progress of the teeth whitening process and look for signs of gum
irritation. On the positive, the over-the-counter gels and strips are
considerably less expense (ranging from $10 to about $55) than the
top-of-the line in-office whitening procedures, which can cost nearly
$800.