Teeth Whitening: Moving Forward With Excitement and Caution

While teeth whitening procedures are largely very safe and very effective, there is a reason to temper your enthusiasm with the appropriate amount of caution. Before you buy that kit that looks so enticing on the drug store shelf, think about these tips and implement them for best results.

Use a Dentist

Cosmetic dentists perform teeth whitening procedures in the office and provide take-home kits. There's no question that the OTC industry is booming at the moment, but there is no comparison between even the best kits that can be purchased at Wal-Mart and the level of care you can get in a dentist's office. Results that could take months using store-bought packages can be had in a single treatment at the licensed practice. People typically choose the store bought packages for the sake of convenience, but there are compelling reasons to at least look into using a cosmetic dentist before you start.

Quality Control

Whenever there is a fad, you can count on seeing a hundred pretenders for every company that actually cares about the product they're selling. We live in a world of generics. Because the prices are so much lower and the pervasive myth that lesser known brands are just as good as the leading ones, people have a tendency to pick out whichever teeth whitening kit costs the least. While this strategy may work in some areas, this isn't one of them. Before you buy a kit, make sure it carries the American Dental Association seal of approval. While that in itself doesn't necessarily ensure you're buying the most effective product, you can at least be sure you aren't buying something that will harm your oral health if used correctly.

Follow Directions

The old axiom of "more is better" doesn't necessarily apply to teeth whitening. In fact, you need to exercise great caution when it comes to using these kits. Follow the directions on the package explicitly and don't be misled by friends and online message boards advising a more intense strategy. These are fairly harsh chemicals you'll be dealing with and they can cause some serious oral health problems if used incorrectly. Dentists all across the country have seen many instances of patients coming in to the office, suffering from pain because of overbleaching effects. Don't fall into this category because you want to achieve your effects faster than the label recommends. Once again, if you want faster, more effective results, you should skip the home kits and start with a cosmetic dentist.