Tooth Whitening Options

There are many different ways to have a brilliant and dazzling smile. One of those ways that is virtually painless and relatively simple is teeth whitening. There are many over the counter tooth whitening options available for consumers to try.

Teeth whitening strips are typically for people with otherwise healthy teeth. Because people are choosing to take this step on their own without a professional opinion, the success may vary from little difference to a very noticeable difference. There are three different methods to whiten your teeth at home.

Brush on Whitening

Brush on whitening is an awesome concept for people that are on the go all day long. They see that they can brush the formula on and allow it to dry. They go about their usual daily routine while their teeth magically become whiter.

There are a few flaws in the concept. The major one is that people are under the impression that the formula that they brush on will dry. This is not a possibility as your mouth produces saliva and starts to rub the formula off. This causes some to stay and some to rub off and uneven whitening is the end result. Another flaw is that the main ingredient is alcohol and people will have bad breath from the alcohol based solution.

Whitening Strips

Teeth whitening strips are another method of teeth whitening in the comfort of your own home. This is a shortcut of a brush on formula. People can stick these to their teeth and not wait for anything to "dry". They just wait for the strip to dissolve and then they are finished.

Again, this is a great concept, but not one without flaws. People love shortcuts. But one thing about shortcuts is that you may have to turn around and start all over again.

One of the downfalls of this is that teeth are not flat. Imagine painting a fence with grooves and crevices just like your teeth. If you just stuck a paint strip on the fence, you would not have a totally painted fence. There would be many missed places that the strip never reached.

Repeated applications will not usually reach the parts you missed originally. They will become more pronounced and may appear as there are gaps between your teeth. This is obviously not the desired result.

Whitening Gel and Trays

The last home method used, and most effective home method is whitening trays. Many people decide against this method because it is more time consuming than the others. What they do not know is that it is the more affordable option and the perfect combination of the home whitening methods. The trays will hold the bleaching formula on your teeth for the perfect amount of time. Because the liquid can get in between the cracks, the crevices are not missed.

Those are the three main ways to get whiter teeth in your home. Remember, though, that the only way to be one hundred percent certain that your issue is purely cosmetic is for a dentist to tell you that your teeth are healthy. Visit your dental care professional before deciding to whiten your teeth, and be sure to verify that the method you choose is the right one for you.