Why You Shouldn’t Whiten Your Teeth at Home

Investing in getting your teeth whitened can be a great thing.  You may feel self-conscious about your teeth and white teeth can alleviate that. Your teeth and your smile are some of the first things people see when you meet them.  You want to leave a good impression by showing them your pearly white smile. You have multiple options when it comes to teeth whitening. There are many different at-home teeth whitening kits, and of course whitening services at your dentist’s office. If you’re serious about whitening your teeth you should go to your dentist’s office and here’s why.

The dentist has access to the best equipment available. This advanced equipment like laser teeth whitening provides the best results. This sort of equipment isn’t available for at-home use. You’ll get the white teeth you want with professional whitening. You’re taking a bit of a gamble when you do it at home.

When you go to a dentist they can use peroxide concentrations of up to 40%, but at home, kits can only use 20% solutions.  This means it’s going to take a lot longer for you to see results from at-home kits. On top of that dentists can use other things to enhance the process that isn’t available when you do the bleaching at home. 

The equipment and products available to dentists are far more effective than at-home kits. At home, kids will only improve their teeth by a couple of shades. That means your teeth won’t stay white very long. The professional procedure goes much deeper and will give you whiter teeth that stay white longer.

When you use an at-home kit there’s no telling how it will turn out.  There’s no quality control and no professionals to monitor the results.  The results could last a couple of weeks or possibly a few months. When you go to your dentist they will monitor your progress, and make sure you get the results you need. 

You put your teeth and mouth at greater risk with an at-home kit.  Don’t be scared, because teeth bleaching is generally safe. There is however a greater chance of human error when using an at-home kit. You could increase sensitivity to your gums or dentin. In severe cases, you could cause permanent damage to your mouth and teeth.  Going to a dentist significantly decreases these risks.  These are trained professionals that do this regularly. They understand the procedure, and the equipment used in it. They’re also required to meet much higher hygiene standards. This means there’s very little risk of infection.

 If you want good, long-lasting results going to a reliable, professional dentist is your best choice.