What You Should Know About Teeth Whitening At Home or At the Dentist
If you’re dreaming of a "White Christmas,” why not start with your teeth?
Get those pearly whites shining bright for the holidays with teeth whitening. There are many over-the-counter products available that claim to whiten and brighten teeth. But, beware—not all of these work as well as they claim.
One good product that can be purchased over the counter is Crest Whitestrips. They definitely do work, and they are not very expensive compared to other whitening products.
But, there are two cons to using these strips. The first problem is that they are not very user-friendly. They tend to slide around and not stay on the teeth. The second problem is that the stain that it removes comes back fairly quickly. So, unless you keep using them quite often, the result you are looking for will be very short-lived.
The better alternative, which is more expensive, but is also a much better investment, is to bleach your teeth at a dental office. It is faster, easier, more reliable and has much better longevity than the over-the-counter products.
The in-office whitening products use a much stronger material in addition to an ultraviolet light, and can be completed in one 60-90 minute session. After that, custom trays are made for future touch-up treatments at home.
How often you need to touch up depends greatly on the diet of the person. Coffee, tea, cigarettes, chewing tobacco and red wine are the worst offenders to bring on stains, but in moderation, they are not a problem. If any of these are consumed often, then frequent touch ups will be necessary.
Regardless of the method chosen, sprucing up your own smile, or giving a gift certificate for whitening to a loved one is a great holiday gift that keeps on giving, smile after smile.
Happy Holidays to all!
“Dr. Krimsky’s Dental Wisdom” is a feature guest post from Dr. Peter Krimsky, a Florida dentist and member of numerous professional dentistry organizations, including the Florida Dental Association, American Dental Association and Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He also works with his patients to save money on dental care procedures with discount dental plans from DentalPlans.com.