What are the different methods of tooth whitening, and what works best?
There are several ways to whiten teeth, but the common denominator is hydrogen peroxide in one form or another. The in-office method employs the strongest gel and supplements it with an ultra-violet light that allows whitening to occur within one hour or less. A patient can also be given custom-made trays with much weaker gel, which can produce equivalent whitening in about two weeks of daily use. The store-bought products use the weakest gel and take about one month of daily use to attain the same results. At our office, we include the trays together with our in-office service to provide long-term maintenance, as eventually the teeth will darken again.
