Teeth Whitening: Can Cheap Alternatives Beat High Prices?

Teeth whitening has hit the big time. The last ten years have seen a progression from exclusive high-priced services offered by dentists and high-end salons. At time the astronomic pricing has balooned to approach $1000 for multiple visits and custom fitted dental trays that take weeks to be ready.

No matter where you go or what solution you're looking for there are always people that believe it can't be done right unless your ready to spend loads of money. We believe that when it comes to teeth whitening it's just not true. There are quite a few low cost treatments that can be just as effective as those high-end services. Public demand for this treatment has brought many low-cost alternatives that are readily availabe in your local drugstore, and can also be seen on TV and online. These kits run a wide range of pricing. And more expensive doesn't have to mean more effective. The delivery method (for example dental trays, tape strips, brush-on, or toothpastes) can change but more important than the delivery method is the active ingredients.

Check The Active Ingredients

Peroxide is almost always the active ingredient that handles the bleaching effect on your teeth. The peroxide could be hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. The ingredients usually contain some sort of peroxide. It could be hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. If you're interested in the science carbamide peroxide breaks down into hydrogen peroxide that actually performs the bleaching effect. These peroxides can be delivered in a gel base, attached to an adhesive strip, but sometimes can be available as a brush-on liquid or included in a toothpaste. Peroxide can excel as a bleach for removing stains. But peroxide will also burn the gums and can damage the teeth if it's too strong. So make sure that you're using a diluted solution (the solution strength can vary from 10% to 22%). Sometimes additional ingredients can help to act as a buffer to protect your sensitive gums and teeth.

A Word About Sensitive Teeth & Gums

Your own sensitivity to peroxide may be different from that of your neighbor. So take it easy and take some time to figure out what will work best for you. Don't be like the lady that dove right into a strong solution and damaged her teeth irrepairably to the tune of $7000 in the dentists chair.

Don't hesitate to ask your dentist or your doctor. There may be certain situations that may make teeth whitening unhealthy for you. As an example, pregnancy can really weaken your teeth strength and mixing that with teeth whitening can be hazardous. Your doctor or dentist should know best what you should do given your circumstances.

If you know that you have sensitive teeth there are a few really easy steps that you can take to prepare and protect your teeth and gums. First, take a couple of weeks ahead of time to brush with a sensitivity toothpaste (like Sensodyne). Second, check the solution strengths listed in the ingredients and start out with a low strength solution. It's not difficult to find 12% to 15% solutions available. You may have to spread your treatment out over a longer period to experience the desired results. And you might have to take a break continuing to use the sensitivity toothpaste. But there's no reason that you can't experience the same results that others without sensitivities enjoy.

Types of Treatment Systems Available

Do It Yourself solutions can include custom dental trays to the easy to use tape strips. Custom dental trays range from affordable to expensive. Check this carefully as it can be a really good solution. The dental trays form custom-fit for your own teeth. They can really be effective to deliver the solution directly to your teeth. The trays can also keep your saliva from washing off the solution. It doesn't matter what delivery method you're using, abstain from eating and drinking while under treatment.

The adhesive tape strips are a really nice at home solution for those looking to save some money. Most dentists agree that this is an effective economical solution that can deliver great results. Crest brand tape strips are preferred by dentists and users alike. Certain store brand strips may work for you, but make sure you check the ingredients against the Crest strips since they are like the "gold standard" for tape strips.

Brush-on treatments just don't get the vote in my book. They are too easy to interfere with the solution by simply closing your mouth and salivating. I recommend that you don't bother wasting your money for brush-on treatments.

Toothpaste based whiteners are not nearly as effective for whitening your teeth. They probably won't be strong enough to damage your teeth or gums, but on the other hand the paste only stays on your teeth for a couple of minutes at most (if you brush the dentist recommended two minutes). You may see a half a shade improvement over time by using a toothpaste based whitener compared to up to two shades brighter using another delivery method. I recommend using a whitening paste as a maintenance type of tool in combination with one of the other mentioned methods. But only if you don't need the sensitivity toothpaste mentioned above.

In Conclusion

There are really two considerations here.The first is your personal sensitivity level and the second is simply price consideration. If you have sensitive teeth and gomes, all you have to do is start out with the lowest strength solution that you can find and work your way up to stronger solutions. Don't forget to take breaks from the treatment to give your teeth and gums a rest and a chance to recover from the treatment. If you're looking to do this on the cheap then check your retailer for a store brand equivalent and see how well the cheap solutions work for you.