Diet, age, and poor oral hygiene all have negative effects on the appearance of one’s teeth. So, the answer to the question if teeth whitening services are expensive, no, there are affordable options available.
How Does It Work?
A teeth whitening treatment uses a bleaching agent to clean the porous enamel outer layer of a patient’s teeth. The goal is to remove all the stains embedded in the patient’s teeth. There are several methods dentists use today to whiten their patient’s teeth that will be well within their budget, their lifestyle, and severity of staining.
Types of Teeth Whitening Services
There is a lot of products in the market today that whiten teeth, including whitening toothpaste, gel, bleaching agents, and whitening kits. It would be confusing for patients which products are safe to buy. Most over-the-counter products are not effective.
These products are quite popular because they are cheaper than going to the dentist for a treatment, but in the long run, their teeth could be damaged because of the chemicals in these products.
- Take-home or at-home treatment
Dental clinics offer home treatments that patients can use on their own. These are safer since these are recommended by their dentists. It would also be a relief for patients to know that dentists use these products as well.
Dentists may recommend custom made tray so patients are assured that they are getting the treatment that they specifically need.
- Clinic or in-chair treatment
In-chair treatments typically use bleaching techniques for quick and efficient removal of stains from the teeth’s surface. Clinics offer professional treatments. Hence, patients are assured that they are getting good quality teeth whitening services.
Most of the treatments may last only for a few minutes, so it is still convenient to go the clinic even during a busy day.
Are these treatments safe?
The main concern, naturally, is if these treatments won’t have negative side effects. Treatments done by professionals are completely safe. Dentists are mow knowledgeable and they follow specific processes to ensure the safety of their patients. While it is a remote possibility that treatments may trigger allergic reactions in patients, dentists know what to do in case this actually happens.
The take-home treatments are tested and approved by dentists so they don’t have to worry about it.
These are treatments approved by professional dentists. This is the reason why people shouldn’t immediately jump into buying at-home or those over-the-counter products. There are safety and health factors to take into consideration.
How much do these teeth whitening services cost?
Prices vary based on the patient’s preferred treatment. Based on reports from the National Dental Free Survey in 2017, at-home teeth whitening kits are priced at $610 on average. On the other hand, in-chair treatments may reach up to $260 for a tooth.
Before availing any of the teeth whitening services, it is imperative that patients consult with their dentist first. This will ensure that patients would be getting good quality products. Patients should also prepare a budget of at least $280 per consultation.