Teeth Whitening Benefits: Professional or DIY?

There are many benefits of teeth whitening, and they can be enjoyed by anyone who wants to make their smile brighter. Making your teeth look whiter than ever before is the most obvious benefit. This means you will have a more attractive smile, which will attract the attention of others.

Among the top teeth whitening benefits is improving your self-esteem. If you’ve been hiding your smile for years, this treatment can help you get rid of those feelings of embarrassment. You’ll no longer need to hide or worry about what other people think. Instead, you can enjoy showing off your beautiful smile because you’ll be smiling with confidence. You may even find that people start treating you differently when they see how bright your smile looks.

Top Reasons To Whiten Your Teeth At The Dentist

Over-the-counter products contain ingredients that do not penetrate deep into the enamel layer of the tooth surface. This makes them less effective than professional treatments that use safe and proven methods to deliver high levels of bleaching agents directly to the tooth surface. In addition, over-the-counter treatments often require multiple applications per day, while professional treatments typically take one application per week.

Five Teeth Whitening Benefits

Teeth whitening benefits, when done professionally, can maximize your smile and your time spent whitening in the following ways:

1. Stronger, More Thorough Whitening

The latest study from the American Dental Association found professionally performed teeth whitening procedures are more effective and stronger than over-the-counter products, which are typically only good for light staining, if effective at all, according to the ADA.

In fact, teeth bleaching is one of the most popular cosmetic treatments among consumers, with nearly half of Americans having had it done. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Dentistry, surveyed 2,500 people about how often they used different types of tooth whiteners. Of those surveyed, almost 90 percent reported using some type of whitener, while just under 50 percent reported using a professional treatment.

2. Speed and Reliability

Another reason people see more benefits of teeth whitening when performed at the dentist instead of over-the-counter is because it provides faster results. A quick treatment takes less than ten minutes, while a typical home bleaching kit requires several hours of application. In addition, treatments such as laser are safer than chemical methods as there is no risk of burning the gums, which could lead to infection.

3. Better For the Health of the Teeth

Teeth whitening benefits are becoming increasingly sought after among people around the world. These procedures use chemical agents to bleach out stains on the surface of the teeth. Among the reasons to whiten your teeth at the dentist is this: The dentist will protect your gums from exposure to the bleaching agent, which is slightly corrosive. To avoid tooth sensitivity and irritated gums, a person should get their teeth whitened by a dentist.

4. Precise Personalization

Professional teeth whitening can make a big difference in how white your smile looks. But there’s no way to know what shade of whiter teeth you really need unless you see the color of your teeth up close. In addition to being able to achieve the perfect shade for your teeth, professional treatment gives you the option of customizing your treatment based on where you need the lightest shade and where you need the darkest shade.

Drugstore products generally offer a broad range of shades, often ranging from very dark to super bright. This makes it difficult to determine exactly what shade works best for your teeth. With professional treatments, you can customize the amount of bleaching power delivered to each area of your mouth—whether it’s just enough to lighten your front teeth or enough to lighten your entire mouth. You can even adjust the intensity of the bleach, depending on the type of tooth you have and the severity of stains.

5. Long-Lasting Results

Backed by a good routine of oral hygiene at home, the benefits of professional teeth whitening are long-lasting because whitening agents available to dentists and dental hygienists contain stronger bleaching agents than you can buy over the counter.

Trust the Professionals at Penn Dental Family Practice

If you want to look into getting your teeth professionally whitened, we encourage you to schedule a visit now or call us anytime at 215-898-7337 for questions.

Our Penn Dental Family Practice specialists will start by explaining the procedure and the solutions it can offer. The whole process takes about an hour and a half in our office. After the procedure, most patients find their smiles are anywhere from five to seven shades lighter. Before you leave, your teeth whitening specialist may also give you take-home trays you can use later for touching up or maintaining your bright new smile.