What does teeth whitening cost?

After years of drinking coffee, tea, and coke your teeth may be starting to look a little bit brown, yellow or just gross. Maybe you have a big day coming up. You may want to whiten your teeth but maybe have heard some rumors that hold you back. If cost is holding you back, here is a comprehensive idea of what you can expect to pay for teeth whitening.

Dental Bleaching

Dental bleaching, also called teeth whitening is a method of removing surface and below surface stains from teeth. Over time, teeth tend to turn shades of yellow, green or grey. Certain foods aggravate this teeth staining such as red wine, coffee, tea, cola, and tobacco. Dental bleaching is the safest, most effective and most controlled way to whiten your teeth. Bleaching is a method that uses peroxides to lighten your teeth beyond their natural color. Whitening procedures use a method that cleans surface stains restoring teeth to their natural color.

In-office Procedures

When having your teeth whitened the most dramatic and effective method is to have your dentist whiten your teeth in the office. They may use gels, laser lights, or other materials to whiten your teeth. While they are the most effective, they are also the most expensive methods ranging into the hundreds of dollars. After your initial whitening, they usually recommend you come back about 1-3 times a year for a touch up. Most dental procedures will even send you home with trays and gel so you can touch up your whitening job at home. The biggest deterrent to an in-office procedure is the cost which on average is $650 per visit. If you want to take trays home with you, the cost is anywhere from $100-$400.

Laser Whitening

Dentists will sometimes use a laser light to help the gel and bleach soak more effectively into your teeth. The gel is transparent with whitening “crystals” which are activated when the laser light turns on. While this is a one visit, quick and dramatic whitening session, costs of laser whitening are usually around $1000 per session.

Gel Treatments

This is the most popular form of in-office treatments. The dentist will use a whitening gel with a high concentration of peroxide. He will apply it to your teeth and monitor the bleaching effect. Each individual is different so the results are sometimes not as bright and pearly as you would like them but additional sessions can help whiten up your teeth. The price is usually around $650 a session.

Opalescence

Opalescence is a company using peroxide gels to lighten your smile by up to eight shades. They have procedures that can be done both at-home and at a dental office. However, you must see your dentist to even begin treatment. They may recommend an in-office boost to jumpstart your treatment, and they will fit you for trays for your at-home gel procedures. After you have completed their system they have a line of toothpaste and dental hygiene materials to maintain your new smile. Each dentist will have his own price range depending on which aspects of the Opalescence system they are using.

How to Whiten Teeth at-home

If a trip to the dentist doesn’t suit you, there are various methods to whitening your teeth at-home that are more time and cost effective. However, the results you will see at home will not be as dramatic as those you find at the dental office.

Whitening Toothpaste

These toothpastes use a gentle abrasive to polish away surface stains. Between $3-$7 a tube, you will see your teeth become slightly whiter after several weeks and sometimes after a month or more. However, because the toothpastes use an abrasive material, you may be damaging your teeth over extended periods of time.

Whitening Mouthwash

Like toothpaste, whitening mouthwash will clean surface stains from teeth. Being a liquid, they also have the ability to get in between teeth where stains can also accumulate. However, whitening mouthwashes use a bleaching agent rather than an abrasive to clean stains.

Whitening Strips

Certain companies like Crest have come out with strips that you apply directly on your teeth. These strips contain a low percentage of bleach. You will be able to see results after just a few days, and sometimes hours. Although affective, they still do not have the results that an in-office whitening will have. These strips usually cost between $25-$50.

Whitening Gels

These gels are meant to mimic the procedure done at the dentistry. Like an in-office procedure they use peroxide as well. While they are effective, the bleach content is much lower than that at your local dentists so your results will not be as dramatic. However, for around $40-$50 they are quite a good bargain. Paint On Similar to gels, these whitening products you ‘paint’ directly onto your teeth rather than using them in a tray. Some people feel they are less messy than gels and strips, and do not impede your speech the way the others can. Also, with a steady hand you can avoid your gums altogether, thus eliminating some sensitivity that comes from trays. This method is a good option for people on the go and will usually cost about the same as a gel.

At-home Treatments

Many people have come up with home remedies to whitening your teeth. They usually consist of a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice, baking soda, strawberries and olive oil. Compared to the cost of in-office dental procedures, or even some home remedies, these whitening treatments are practically free. However, most are very abrasive or acidic and will damage your enamel over time. Another downfall is that no research has been done on the effect of these products on your teeth for an extended period of time.

Now, no matter what your budget it, you can afford some sort of teeth whitening or bleaching. After extended periods of time you may be able to reduce a significant amount of surface stains from your teeth.