What Are the Differences Between Professional Teeth Whitening and Over-the-Counter Options?

At just about any corner store you can find products touting their ability to whiten your teeth and give you a beautiful new smile. They come in the form of special toothpastes, gels, and whitening strips, and typically claim to provide fast results. While certain products can be effective to some degree, over-the-counter options simply do not have many of the advantages offered by professional teeth whitening techniques, which include both in-office and at-home treatments here at Fulbright Cosmetic & Reconstructive Dentistry.

Professional teeth whitening procedures such as Zoom!® offer near-instantaneous results and typically use higher-quality whitening solutions and much stronger bleaching agents, which can very effectively lighten the shade of your teeth. Protection of the gums during the bleaching process is another benefit of in-office teeth whitening. Plus, professional techniques such as the KöR® Whitening Deep Bleaching™ System offer patients a way to address very deep and dark stains along the teeth, a promise that may not be given by many over-the-counter options.

Even at-home kits available from a dentist, such as the Day White® system from Dr. Michael Fulbright, offer distinct advantages over a lot of those that you can find at the market or the drugstore. The take-home trays are customized for the most comfortable fit possible, which can be significantly better than the one-size-fits-all options provided by over-the-counter brands.

Ultimately, one of the greatest benefits of professional teeth whitening treatments is the fact that they are supervised by a dentist, which can go a long way toward ensuring you attain satisfactory results!