If affordable is a key element in your teeth whitening venture, you should start by learning enough about the process to know what level of results will be acceptable to you. There is a standard of measurement that rates the number of shades lighter your teeth will be if you undergo one form of treatment or another. One at-home teeth whitener may claim to accomplish 6 shades lighter, while one of the expensive laser treatments in a dentist’s office may get your teeth 9 shades lighter.
The degree to which your teeth get whiter is one measurement of success, but it has to come from a reliable source. Brand name products usually have more to lose, so a claim made by Crest is going to be closer to accurate than a claim for a discount teeth whitening kit that’s available online, manufactured by a company you’re not familiar with.
The most affordable options are at home teeth whitening programs. The strips manufactured by Listerine or Crest will be priced in the $25 range. They are impregnated with a low level of bleach and meant to be affixed across your teeth for an hour or two at a time. While they will achieve some whitening, it may not pass across the entire span of a tooth and it may not affect all teeth. Some people who don’t have decades of stains to take off find the strips effective, however.
There are other at home kits that feature a mouth tray which is filled with bleaching gel and placed over your teeth. This option is also affordable – probably under $100 – but the tray may fit poorly and not achieve the degree of contact with the bleaching agent that is necessary to affect your teeth.
An affordable compromise might be having your dentist custom make mouth trays that fit your dental pattern and then do the application of the gel at home. You’ll be using the mouth tray daily – or nightly – for a week to two weeks. You can purchase the gel through your dentist, or see if you can find a comparable product sold over the counter. This option should be within affordable range, but it has enough professional consultation to guarantee a decent result.