“WHY DO I PREFER TAKE HOME TEETH WHITENING OVER IN OFFICE WHITENING?
Tooth whitening is rightfully considered to be one of the most popular procedures in contemporary dentistry. This is due to multiple factors that are quite beneficial. First and foremost this procedure is relatively inexpensive with a great cosmetic outcome. Second, this procedure is completely non-invasive and does not involve any needles, drilling or any other things that are usually associated with dentist’s office. Also this procedure does not involve any toxic substances that might be potentially harmful to teeth or surrounding tissues. All these great things have made tooth whitening one of the most beautiful things that ever happened in the history of dentistry. And just like with any technology there are several ways to undergo it. A patient may choose to utilize so-called take home kit or have this procedure done in office. Former case is when a patient is given a custom made set of trays and gel to apply. The latter one does not involve any custom trays but involves a much stronger concentration gel application straight to the teeth in a controlled environment of a dental office. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Though “take home” whitening takes much longer time to undertake and involves everyday applications of the trays with gel for up to 2 weeks it is our opinion that this system should be preferential since it produces much better and longer lasting results without potential danger of hyper sensitive teeth that sometimes result from the application of high concentration of peroxide gel as it is done in the course of “in office” whitening. Second advantage is that the whitening can be repeated over and over every 3 to 6 months for a touch up whenever patient may need one and that touch up does not involve an office visit and/or extra cost except gel supplies. Though sensitivity may still be the case with “take home” whitening it is usually far milder and can be easily controlled by the patient while simply stopping the whitening for a day and then resuming it once sensitivity subsided.
Over the multiple years of utilizing both systems we have compiled the data that shows the “take home” whitening produces much better and stable results with higher patient satisfaction. However in office whitening with higher concentration of peroxide remains the treatment of choice whenever the result has to be achieved almost immediately. For instance an urgent whitening can be administered if one needs to attend a wedding next day or any other function whereas one does not have time to undergo slow and gradual approach of “take home” whitening. Based on our experience utilizing both systems (that is “take home” and “in office”) having them both available is most beneficial for patients, but their administration should be based on individual approach. Also one needs to know that existing crowns, veneers or other restorations cannot be affected by peroxide and therefore will not be changed by tooth whitening procedure.
Next time you see us, let us know if we can further assist you in answering your questions related to this or other topics.”
