The first choice someone who wants a teeth whitening treatment has to make is whether to pay for a dentist to do it or to opt for the cheaper home treatment kit. There is also a treatment choice that involves a little of both, which is an excellent option for people who want professional guidance but don’t want to pay the price for a completely professional teeth whitening procedure.
If you opt for professional treatment, the fastest cosmetic dentistry whitening procedure is laser teeth whitening. A bleaching gel that contains hydrogen peroxide is applied to the teeth and a laser light is fixed on all of the teeth for some period of time – usually less than an hour. The laser treatment is extremely effective and requires just the single visit to the dentist’s office for treatment. It is also the most expensive teeth whitening cost option.
A slower bleaching method involves a custom made mouth tray that matches your dental pattern. The tray is filled with bleaching gel and left in position for a period of time, keeping the teeth in contact with the bleaching mixture. This treatment usually requires several repetitions; for that reason the practical choice is having the tray made and doing the applications at home. Your dentist provides specific instructions on the use of the teeth whitening tray and gel; usually a single session will last from one to three hours. During that period, the tray will remain in your mouth.
The process may take up to two weeks, depending on the degree of discoloration. Your dentist may ask you to keep the tray in position overnight. This particular method of cosmetic dentistry whitening is not as quick as others, but it is more thorough than most and you have the guidance of a professional even though you’re going through the motions at home.
Some dentists use the BriteSmile branded teeth whitening process, which also involves translucent gel and light exposure. This process is also a one-visit affair and may cost substantially less than a laser treatment that is a custom program designed by your dentist. With both BriteSmile and with an in-house laser treatment, the light used to speed the process along also can dehydrate the teeth, which adds an additional whitening effect. When the teeth rehydrate however, some of that brightness is lost.