Believe it or not, white teeth can have a significant impact on your professional or social life. Recent studies concluded that having whiter teeth lead to an increased likelihood that someone would get a job offer (and a better salary offer!), as well as a shot at a second date.
With several different whitening products on the market, how do you know what type of teeth whitening treatment is best for you?
Our Kirkland dental office has put together pros and cons for the most popular teeth whitening treatments to help you decide.
Toothpastes and Rinses
The most inexpensive mode of whitening teeth, whitening toothpastes and rinses are easy to use – since you simply switch out the toothpaste for your normal toothpaste.
Toothpastes and rinses, however, take longer to have an effect and only whiten your teeth by one or two shades. The results also don’t last as long as some other teeth whitening methods.
Whitening Strips
Whitening strips are a less expensive alternative to teeth whitening that you can use at home. They consist of a thin strip of material coated with a hydrogen peroxide based gel. Best results are achieved by wearing the strips 30 minutes at a time, twice a week, for 14 days.
If you have imperfectly situated teeth, you may come into a problem with whitening strips. Since they were designed for people with a perfectly straight smile, any overlapping or turned teeth may end up with odd spots that weren’t treated. Or, you could have problems getting the strips to seal correctly.
Teeth Whitening Trays
Whitening trays are a more costly treatment for whitening your teeth, but can be more effective than whitening strips or toothpastes. You fill the tray with the whitening gel and wear the tray for anywhere from 30 minutes a day to overnight, for several weeks.
Over-the-counter whitening tray kits often have trays that don’t fit your teeth well and are uncomfortable to wear. If your dentist offers this option, they can custom create whitening trays to fit your teeth – allowing you to use less gel and have a more comfortable fit.
Sinsational Smile
At our Kirkland dental practice, our dentists use the only eco-friendly whitening system, Sinsational Smile. Professional whitening treatments are the most effective, and the Sinsational Smile only takes 20 minutes to complete.
The system uses a revolutionary tray that allows your jaw to remain relaxed and combines this prefilled tray with light to boost the effectiveness of the whitening gel. To help you keep your teeth at their whitest, we’ll send you home with a whitening pen for touch-ups.
If you’re looking to whiten your teeth, it’s best you talk over your options with your dental care provider first. They can let you know how each option will affect your teeth specifically.
Learn more about teeth whitening procedures, then give us a call to schedule your professional teeth whitening today!
