Home Teeth Whitening Kits: How Fast Can You Whiten At Home Versus Whitening At The Dentist's Office?

Dentist Blog

If you are considering teeth whitening, you may be wondering if the expense of having it done in a dentist's office is worth it. After all, there are so many teeth whitening kits you can buy that allow you to whiten at home, and they are all much less expensive than a professional job. So, how fast can the kits can whiten versus a professional teeth whitening, and how long do the results last? Here is a summary of the time and results for most of the kits you can buy, as well as a professional, in-office whitening procedure.  

Twelve-Hour Application

One kit offers a complete whitening of your front-most teeth with strips you wear for a full twelve hours. The strips are supposed to be applied in the late evening after you have finished eating for the night and have brushed your teeth. You wear them straight through the night while you sleep and remove them first thing in the morning. There is also a kit that uses mouthguard trays instead of strips if you are concerned about accidentally swallowing the strips (but the strips do not typically come loose anyway, so the trays are more for your sense of security). The results could last a few weeks to several months, depending on the foods and drinks you normally consume and how frequently you brush your teeth.

One-Hour Quick Application

There are whitening kits that work in just an hour too. These are just as concentrated, but because you are not wearing them for more than an hour, they do not whiten to the extent of the twelve-hour kits. However, they can and often do provide a dramatically whiter smile than the one you have been sporting for some time now. Typically, the results are shorter-lived as well, but again, that all hinges on your oral hygiene and food and drink consumption.

Two, Thirty-Minute Applications a Day for One to Two Weeks

If you do not have the time to dedicate an hour here and an hour there to whitening your teeth with a retail kit, then you may want to try a kit with a shorter wear period but a longer treatment period. There are kits that require you to wear strips or insert trays for about thirty minutes, usually twice a day (once in the morning and again at night) for one week or two weeks. The process is much more gradual, making your whiter smile seem more natural. Again, the long-term results are limited.

The Professional Whitening Procedure in Your Dentist's Office

Usually, the whitening procedure in your dentist's office will take about an hour. Your dentist may also use a tray format for whitening, but lasers used for whitening are becoming very popular right now. The biggest difference you will notice is that your teeth sustain a whiter, cleaner glow for a lot longer than the home whitening kits, and that may be worth the cost in itself. Contact local professionals, such as those from Florida Dental Rejuvenation, for further assistance.

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