If you’ve got deep stains or discoloration on your teeth, you may be tempted to try an over-the-counter whitening product from your local supermarket or discount store. After all, it’s less expensive than professional whitening and just as effective, right? Unfortunately, that’s where many patients are wrong. Here’s why when it comes to whitening your smile, OTC products simply can’t compare to professional treatments, and why when you go ‘pro’, you get what you pay for!
Professional vs. OTC Whitening: What’s the Difference?
While it’s true that professional teeth whitening uses the exact same materials to brighten your smile that over-the-counter treatments do, there are some notable differences. You see, though they are often identical to the chemicals your dentist uses to whiten teeth, OTC products from your favorite store or website use diluted ingredients. This ensures that you’ll keep buying those products, because it could take many weeks or months before you see any noticeable results. Unfortunately, this also means that what seemed like a better value at first may eventually end up costing more than professional whitening and take a lot longer to achieve your goals. Worse yet, because you must prolong exposing your teeth to harsh chemicals, you can experience extended sensitivity.
Why is Professional Whitening Better?
In addition to working better than OTC products, professional whitening is faster and because it’s done under the watchful eye of your dentist, it’s safe too. Professional treatment can be customized to achieve your smile goals, so you can get exactly the results you want in a fraction of the time, and ultimately for a fraction of the cost.
With take home whitening, your customized trays can be refilled for touch ups as needed, and you can lighten your smile on your time, even in your pajamas! While in-office treatment does require you to go into your dentist’s office, you can typically remove up to eight shades of discoloration in less than two hours, making it faster than any other method available.
Remember, when it comes to brightening your smile, there are many options. But choosing professional whitening from your dentist, there’s no better way to achieve your goals. To learn more about this treatment and whether you’re a good candidate, speak to your dentist today!
About Our Practice
At Meadowbrook Dental Care, our trio of caring and talented dentists is proud to help patients reveal their most gorgeous smiles ever. Whether you need a preventive cleaning and exam, have a dental emergency, or you’d like to remove up to eight shades of stains and discoloration from your smile in less than two hours with professional whitening, we’ve got the solution. To schedule an appointment for professional whitening, please visit our website, or call us today at 516-284-1234.