Some people may faint when speaking with their dentist about teeth whitening cost. The two most common in office dental bleaching treatments can range in price from $300-1,000. On top of this unbelievable cost is the sad fact that most professional teeth whitening procedures are not covered on insurance plans leaving it up to you to pay the entire price out-of-pocket. Finally, not only is professional cosmetic teeth whitening very expensive, many people undergoing such procedures report mild to moderate discomfort and pain during treatment. Therefore, when trying to keep down costs but still remove the unseemly stains and discoloration from your teeth, you should look into the many over the counter teeth whitening products currently available on the market.
When thinking about teeth whitening products that you can use from the privacy of your own home, there are 3 real options from which to choose (we will not even discuss the teeth whitening gum because it fails to remove even mild staining without breaking your jaw from all the chewing you would have to do!!):
- Teeth whitening kits
- Dental teeth whitening strips
- Teeth bleaching toothpaste
A dental bleaching kit comes with a universal tray that fits over your teeth. You use a specially formulated teeth bleaching gel that helps remove stains through the process of oxidation. The tray helps ensure that this bleaching gel stays on your teeth and does not get onto your gums where it will cause considerable irritation and discomfort. The price of these teeth whitening trays ranges from $30-60 and they are very effective in the removal of moderate discoloration over a period of about two weeks-depending on consistency of use.
Perhaps the biggest complaint about these over the counter dental bleaching products is that they do tend to cause irritation to the gums when the gel leaks out from behind the tray. This problem is caused mainly by the user when they use too much of the teeth bleaching gel. However, by limiting use and making sure to trim the tray before using (remember, these are one-size-fits-all trays so they are typically larger than they need to be).
Then, by using your fingers to apply pressure, you simply need to suck in hard when applying the dental bleaching tray over your teeth in order to create a vacuum and a nice tight fit. That way, there is less of a chance of the teeth whitening gel leaking out from behind the tray and getting on your gums.
With respect to the other two over the counter teeth whitening products, neither the toothpaste nor the strips are very effective when it comes to the removal of moderate stains. Plus, the teeth whitening toothpaste takes several weeks to months before you might noticing a whiter smile. However, both of these products come with a lower teeth whitening cost than the trays but you pay for it in the end with reduced effectiveness.
