Do you have stained teeth? Are your teeth coated with a yellowish or brownish hue? If that is the case, you can benefit greatly from the use of teeth whitening products and procedures.

It is important to have white teeth. White teeth always look healthy, and having a bright and pearly smile can add a lot to your self-confidence. If you have darkened or stained teeth, you should consider using teeth whitening products or going through teeth whitening treatments.

The question is, which teeth whitening method should you go for? Because of the demand for whiter teeth these days, a lot of methods for tooth whitening, not to mention over-the-counter teeth whitening products, have sprouted out all over the market. To be able to choose which teeth whitening method you should go for, it is best to understand the various options available to you to get that whiter smile that you want.

The different types of teeth whitening methods and products available these days can be roughly divided into two groups: in-office teeth whitening and at-home teeth whitening.

In-Office Teeth Whitening Methods

In-office teeth whitening methods are the ones done by a cosmetic dentist. There are a number of ways by which a cosmetic dentist can lighten the color of your teeth, and most of the time, your teeth will become at least eight shades lighter after you have undergone the teeth whitening treatment. In-office teeth whitening are also known to be the fastest and most effective way to get whiter teeth.

1. Laser teeth whitening. Among the various teeth whitening procedures used by cosmetic dentists, the most popular one is the laser teeth whitening treatment. In this kind of tooth whitening procedure, the dentist will coat your teeth with hydrogen peroxide-based gel and expose your teeth to a pulse light made from mercury halide. The light is supposed to break down the hydrogen peroxide content of the gel, and once this happens, the chemical will oxidize the stains on your teeth.

2. Internal bleaching. Internal bleaching is done by injecting teeth whitening gel into a hole that the cosmetic dentist drilled into your teeth. It is strictly done only to patients whose nerve endings in the teeth have been surgically removed or desensitized. The teeth whitening filling is left to sit in the tooth for a week, and afterwards is removed and replaced with a permanent seal.

3. Porcelain veneer. If you have chips on your teeth or gaps between your teeth, the most likely teeth whitening option that your cosmetic dentist would go for is to coat your teeth with a porcelain veneer. The porcelain veneer will act like a shell around your teeth to hide away the chips and the stains and make your teeth appear whiter.

At-Home Teeth Whitening Methods

In-office teeth whitening treatments are known to be pretty expensive. Depending on the cosmetic dentist who will be doing the teeth whitening treatment, your bill can range from $400 to $1,000. A porcelain veneer treatment is billed per tooth, and the fee is usually $300 per tooth.

If you do not have that kind of money to spare on teeth whitening treatments, do not despair. There are other teeth whitening methods that you can go for. In particular, you can choose to do at-home teeth whitening methods.

As the name suggests, these teeth whitening methods can be done safely at home. They do yield great results, but it will take you at least two weeks to see the lightening of your teeth. In this, you will have to use teeth whitening products such as teeth whitening kits and teeth whitening toothpaste.

Most teeth whitening kits have a tooth mold and gel. You fit the mold to your teeth and then fill it with gel. Once the mold is filled with gel, you wear the mold against your teeth for around 30 minutes to an hour. Typically, you do this for two weeks.

On the other hand, using teeth whitening toothpaste is only a matter of brushing your teeth with them. It needs to be done consistently, and you will see the effects of this teeth whitening treatment in a month or two.