Stay Tuned For…

With the advent of do-it-yourself teeth whitening kits – like those put out by Crest, Colgate, and Rembrandt – many candidates for laser teeth whitening have snubbed that option in favor of these lower-cost, over-the-counter alternatives. Yet what many buyers of these products don’t know could, in fact, end up costing them much more in the long run.

First, whereas over-the-counter kits purport to change tooth color up to 5 shades over the course of treatment, these results are very rare. Laser teeth whitening, on the other hand, has the ability to change tooth color by as many as 10 shades – guaranteed.

Second, whereas over-the-counter kits require a daily or twice-a-day commitment to achieve any results at all, recipients of the laser option see tremendous results after just one treatment. That means less time spent whitening teeth and more time showing them off.

Third, over-the-counter kits are hardly permanent. In fact, most kits stipulate that whitening effects last 6-9 months before they have to be repeated. On the other hand, the solution offered by dentists usually lasts at least a year, but, more often than not, results from treatment are still noticeable several years after the last whitening session.

Fourth, over-the-counter kits are expensive. Consider that a treatment kit costs about $50. Then, consider that it can take up to 3 hours with the trays in your mouth to administer the average treatment for several weeks. Next, consider that treatment will cost you $50 every 6 months for the next … say, 5 years. That’s 30 hours and $500 for results that aren’t as good as those you’ll get from professional laser whitening, which generally costs a fraction of that, won’t need to be repeated every 6 months, and takes less than an hour to complete in the dentist’s office.

Fifth, over-the-counter kits often do more harm than good in two ways. Many are peroxide-based and cam be poisonous when swallowed. Swallowing the bleach in these at-home treatments is far more likely than in a dentists’ chair because the mouthpieces many of these treatments employ are ill-fitted for buyers’ mouths. And though swallowing a little bit of the bleach isn’t likely to send anyone to the emergency room, repeatedly swallowing a toxic substance cannot have positive long-term effects. Many who use over-the-counter kits comment on a blotchy reslut on their teeth or uneven coloration on enamel. This is a common symptom of cheap do-it-yourself kits that can be completely avoided by leaving it to a professional.

When it comes to something as important and as visible as your smile, it is best to leave it to the experts. Doing so actually costs about the same as doing it yourself in the long-run, and the results are undoubtedly superior.