Professional vs. Over-the-Counter Teeth Whitening: Comparing Your Options

When you want your smile to look bright, white, and beautiful, you have a few options to consider. On the one hand, you can get an over-the-counter whitening product. On the other hand, you could visit our Fountain Valley dental care practice to undergo professional teeth whitening and dental bleaching services.

If you've ever wondered if one was better than the other, we're here now to compare these two options and give you a definitive answer.

About Over-the-Counter Teeth Whitening Products

Over-the-counter teeth whitening products cover a wide range of items that have the ability to bleach your smile to varying degrees. Some common teeth whitening products you can get at the local drugstore include:

• Teeth whitening chewing gum
• Teeth whitening toothpaste
• Teeth whitening rinses
• Teeth whitening strips
• Teeth whitening tray systems

How Effective Are Over-the-Counter Teeth Whitening Products?

As you can imagine, teeth whitening products vary a great deal in terms of overall effectiveness. The tray systems and whitening strips are the most effective of these treatments, often able to brighten smiles by several shades over the course of several weeks. The toothpastes and rinses tend to have some effectiveness, though they're often outshined by the strips and trays. Teeth whitening chewing gum has the least amount of effectiveness.

Professional Teeth Whitening

Professional teeth whitening treatment refers to all kinds of teeth whitening procedures that are performed at your dentist's office, administered and supervised by dental health pros. We use Zoom!2® teeth whitening at our practice, which is one of the most popular bleaching systems around.

The Advantages of Professional Teeth Whitening

There are so many compelling benefits to undergoing teeth whitening under the care of a cosmetic dentist.

• More Powerful Bleaching Agents – Professional teeth whitening treatments use far stronger bleaching agents than the whitening products that are available over the counter.

• Advanced Technology on Your Side – Professional teeth whitening uses laser-activated, light-activated, and other state-of-the-art approaches to bleaching simply not available when bleaching your teeth at home.

• Faster Results – Because of the stronger bleaching agents and advanced technology, professional teeth whitening means that patients get whiter smiles faster than they would with an over-the-counter product.

• Greater Safety – Teeth whitening at a dentist's office is carefully monitored by dental health professionals, which means there is less chance of experiencing severe side effects, such as excessive tooth sensitivity or gum irritation.

• High Levels of Patient Satisfaction – The vast majority of patients who undergo professional teeth whitening treatment report high levels of satisfaction and excellent results overall.

• More Versatile Care – While whitening is effective on its own, sometimes dentists may recommend teeth whitening in combination with other smile makeover and cosmetic dentistry procedures.

Dental Bleaching with Pros Is Far Superior

Given the advantages above and what we've seen with our own eye at the office, there is no comparison: professional teeth whitening is far better than over-the-counter products. Even the most advanced bleaching products simply cannot compete with the speed, safety, or results that a professionally administered treatment can achieve.

Learn More About Teeth Whitening

For more information about professional teeth whitening treatment and how it can benefit you, be sure to speak with a skilled cosmetic dentist today. Our team will help you have the healthy and beautiful smile.