Professional teeth whitening options

The safest way to achieve whiter teeth is to allow an expert to examine, prepare and thereafter administer the treatment. This can be done in two ways: either the tooth whitening is performed by a general dentist or alternatively at a clinic/salon specialized in teeth whitening (clinique whitening).

Which of the above alternatives is the best is not always obvious. Generally though an authorised dentist has greater competence that the beauty practitioner.

One should also be aware that whole and clean teeth provide a better result for teeth whitening. A visit to the dentist for a check-up and clean prior to teeth whitening could therefore be a good investment.

Two alternatives – in-office or professional home whitening?

There is a vast amount of different methods and techniques for professional teeth whitening. To make it simple we can divide these into in-office whitening “clinique whitening” and professional teeth whitening at home ”home bleaching“.

In-office whitening (clinique whitening) is performed at a clinic where the practitioner performs the procedure, much like a normal visit to the dentist. The home whitening is performed at home, day and/or night, for 1-2 weeks with whitening trays and gel prescribed by the dentist.

Up to 100 000 people undergo some type of professional teeth whitening treatment each year in the UK. That’s ten times more than did so five years ago. The big difference between dentist administered home whitening with trays and in-office whitening is that the latter is easier, faster and slightly more expensive. The final results are equally good.

The increased control and safety of professional teeth whitening makes it possible to use a stronger bleaching gel, containing 15-38 percentages hydrogen peroxide alternatively 45 percentages carbamic peroxide.

At an in-office whitening the bleach is used in combination with an activator that emits light and/or heat. The aim is to hasten the effect of the whitening gel.

Cosmetic dentistry

In-office whitening – techniques and results

Lately several different methods and techniques for in-office whitening have appeared. They are all similar in terms of procedure; after the teeth have been polished one sits in a chair for up to two hours with whitening gel on the teeth and a lamp directed at the mouth.

The result of a successful in-office bleaching

Following treatment one pays £250 – £430 and have bright teeth, or? Yes and no…

The different methods for in-office teeth whitening differ in terms of which whitening gel is used and the type of light used in order to hasten the process. It could be laser light, UV light, coloured light or plasma light.

The two most established methods of in-office whitening are Zoom, which uses UV light and BrilliantSmile that uses plasma light. Other established methods are BriteSmile and Lasersmile.

All the established methods leave good results that last for 2-4 years but differentiate in terms of procedure and potential side effects.

Lesser known methods – more uncertain results

In addition to the most established methods of in-office whitening (clinique whitening) there are several others that have for various reasons not managed to gain footing in the market. Such methods include ultra sound whitening, deep bleaching, ozone whitening, chlorine dioxide whitening and blasting.

With many alternatives and promises about “the best” result there may is reason for a patient to choose one of the more established methods on the market.

Professional teeth whitening options

Two alternatives – in-office or professional home whitening?

In-office whitening – techniques and results

Lesser known methods – more uncertain results

Read more about the recognised methods for in-office whitening: