At Home Teeth Whitening - For That Idol Smile You've Been Looking For!

Would you love to have a gleaming smile but a visit to the dentist is just too expensive? 

Well, don't worry, because at home teeth whitening has never been easier, and with some very reasonably priced products on the market these days, it's never been cheaper either.

So why do our teeth darken and get stained?  Well, firstly, it's quite normal for our teeth to darken as we get older.  Certain drinks consumed over a period of time also have the ability to produce a staining effect on teeth; coffee, tea, cola and red wine are all good examples.  Then of course there are tobacco products which are probably the worst offenders when it comes to causing stain damage to teeth.  It goes without saying that the cumulative use of cigarettes, cigars and pipes can cause tooth staining which is the most difficult of all to remove.

Stained teeth can be embarrassing, but help is at hand with the many tooth whitening products available these days which can be used at home. At home teeth whitening has been around for a few years now and is safe and effective for most users providing you follow the instuctions that come with the product.

There are many different types teeth whitening products; gels, strips, mouldable trays and more recently, plasma tooth whitener which dosen't use strips or gels.

Gels

Whitening gels are clear, peroxide-based gels applied with a small brush directly to the surface of your teeth. Instructions generally call for twice a day application for 14 days. Initial results are seen in a few days.

Strips

Whitening strips are very thin, virtually invisible strips that are coated with a peroxide-based whitening gel. The strips are applied twice daily for 30 minutes for 14 days. Initial results are seen in a few days.

Trays

Tray based tooth whitening systems involve filling a mouth guard-like tray with a gel whitening solution which contains a peroxide-bleaching agent and then wearing the tray for a period of time, generally from a couple hours a day for a number of days, although this varies from product to product.

Picking the right product

Picking the right product is very much a matter of personal choice.  You may choose based on price, or on a recommendation from a friend. You may prefer the strips or gels as they don't take so long to apply - it really is up to you.  

Here's some food for thought though; more dentists use a tray-based whitening system with their patients than any other type of bleaching.

A short video using a teeth whitening method you may have tried before.