Best Teeth Whitening Systems

A popular question these days is, “What is the best teeth whitening system?” The question is understandable, since there are numerous teeth whitening kits available for sale both over the counter and on the Internet. Many people have discovered that as they get older, their teeth tend to become discolored, turning either a yellow or a grey, depending on their diet and whether or not they smoke cigarettes.

In the past decade or so, the technology of whitening teeth has improved to the point where the process is affordable for nearly everyone, whether they elect to do it at home or have it done professionally by a dentist.

Regardless of how you have it done, the procedure works pretty much the same way. A gel containing several oxidizing chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide, is applied to the teeth for 30 minutes or so. Some dentists expose the teeth and gel to intense ultraviolet or halogen light in an attempt to accelerate the chemical action between the gel and the teeth. The oxidizing agent slowly removes the particles from the surface of the teeth that cause the discoloration.

Most dentists use a chemical called carbamide peroxide; the home kits usually use the somewhat weaker hydrogen peroxide. Both chemicals work well, though the weaker chemicals in the home kits mean that the user will have to apply the gel for a longer period of time, apply the gel more times, or both. Home kits often get good results in ten days or two weeks, while a dentist can usually get good results in one or two applications. It should be noted that there is little evidence that the application of light, sometimes called “laser teeth bleaching”, has any significant effect on speeding up the process.

So what is the best teeth whitening system? There is really no good answer to that. Most of the home kits work quite well, whether you buy them in a store or over the Internet. Some kits allow you to apply the gel directly to the teeth while others have you apply the gel using adhesive strips that stick to the teeth. The strips do not work as well, as they do not conform to the shape of the teeth well and tend to leave dark spots where the gel is insufficiently applied. If you're using a home kit, you might want to use a system that uses a gel and a tray that you fit over your teeth to hold the gel in place.

In the end, the best teeth whitening system is the one you actually use.  There are some terrific kits available on the Internet that contain the same powerful carbamide peroxide that dentists use.  That means that you can now get professional looking results at home without spending a fortune.  And that's what you want, isn't it?