Tooth whitening.

So you have all seen commercials for tooth whitening products.  I will give you my opinion about which one work the best.

First of all we need to get a couple things clear.  Bleaching your teeth only works so well.  Bleaching will remove surface stains from your teeth, such as coffee stain, soda stain, wine stain, smoking etc.  Bleaching will remove those stains it will not change the true color of your teeth.  Teeth are usually either brown, yellow or gray in color to varying degrees.  This color comes from the dentin of your teeth which is under the enamel.  So bleaching works really well for some people (smokers wine drinkers etc) and for others it doesn't do much at all. 
You can think of bleaching in three categories.  In office (laying in the dentist chair) at home (purchased from your dentist but used at home) and over the counter (bought at the store).
There are pros and cons to each method.

In office:  The in office method is the fastest way to bleach your teeth but is also the most prone to cause sensitivity and is the most expensive.  Fees for this method of tooth whitening are usually $300.00 or higher.  Also each time you want to touch up or get your teeth whitened you will be hit with the bill again.  If your first treatment doesn't yield the results you want then you may require a second treatment and have to fork over another $300+.  I don't use in office bleaching.  The other thing you should know is that the "light" they use for the in office bleaching does nothing to bleach your teeth.  Studies have shown that the light has no effect on the bleaching outcome.  But you do get to wear some really sweet old lady sunglasses so that is a plus.

At home bleaching:  This is the bleaching that I use in my office and like many dentists I don't charge you anything for the service as long as you come in and get your teeth cleaned every 6 months.  With this method you will have some impressions taken and custom bleach trays will be made for you.  You will be able to bleach when and where you like.  You can do it as much or as little as you like as well.  I like this method because it gives you complete control over the bleaching process and saves you money (well at least in my office it does)

Over the counter:  This method is the slowest method.  It includes strips that you place on your teeth and whitening tooth paste.  These methods will work but it may take a long time requiring you to purchase several sets of whitening strips.  Plus the strips aren't the cheapest things in the store by any means.  Whitening tooth paste has very little whitening ability because it doesn't sit on your teeth long enough.

Really with all the tooth whitening products out there you can find the right fit for you.  It all comes down to how much you want to spend and how fast you need your teeth whitened.  Unless of course you want to wear some really cool old lady sunglasses, then the in office whitening light is for you!!

That is all