How Effective are Home Whitening Kits?

It is natural for people who have yellow teeth to search for solutions that will once again provide them with pearly white teeth. In addition to professional whitening services, there are also home whitening kits that are available for purchase over-the counter. Yet, are they effective?

 

Both professional whitening agents and at-home whitening products contain peroxide as their active ingredient, but the at-home products have lower doses. Our Los Angeles cosmetic dentist is able to make your teeth three to eight shades brighter, whereas home whitening kits are usually only able to brighten your teeth by one shade. The dentist actually custom-designs a tray similar to a mouthguard, which will hold the bleaching solution that is being applied to your teeth. This tray ensures that a minimal amount of bleaching agent comes into contact with your gums. Some home whitening products have similar trays, but they use the one-size-fits-all approach. Each individual patient is different though, so the one-size-fits-all usually results in leakage of the whitening solution onto the gums. That is why it is fairly common for home whitening kits to irritate the gums, or even burn them in some cases.

 

Our expert in teeth whitening in Los Angeles recommends seeing a professional before any whitening solution is started, whether it is at-home whitening or professional whitening.