Teeth Whitening: Does Breaking into a Smile Mean Breaking the Bank?

When celebrities with gleaming white teeth are on every news feed, it's hard not to compare your smile with theirs. Even if you're not envious of the celebrity lifestyle, it would be nice if your teeth were a few shades whiter. But with so many products and treatments available, how do you know which will provide value for money?

As with most products, you should expect to pay more for quality and reliability. This doesn't mean that budget products won't help but, when it comes to teeth whitening, paying less money means less noticeable results which take more time to achieve. Kate Middleton is rumored to have spent in the neighborhood of $10,000 on dental work, including possibly porcelain dental veneers, before her wedding to Prince William; unless you have that kind of budget you shouldn't expect big changes to happen in a short time.

Food and drink such as dark berries, tea, coffee or red wine and tobacco will stain your teeth. Whitening means removing the stains, either by bleaching or by using an abrasive to scrub them and a polish to make them shiny. Most people's teeth become darker as they get older and stains build up, but whitening procedures will only return your teeth to their natural color.

Your teeth may become a lighter shade but whether they will be pure white is down to genetics. Whatever method of teeth whitening you choose, you need to remember that teeth start getting stained again as soon as you've whitened them; paying a fortune to make your teeth white doesn't mean they'll stay that way forever.

Typically, the most effective teeth whitening treatment will be provided by a dentist. They will make a custom mold that fits exactly over your teeth. This is then filled with a bleaching gel and you use it over the course of a few days or weeks until stains have been removed.

“The global teeth whitening market is above $3 billion dollars annually*, so it is very common for patients to inquire about teeth whitening, either for in-home solutions, and in-office with our professional system,” says Dr. Igal Elyassi of Wilshire Smile Studio in Los Angeles, CA.

Faster treatments involve the dentist or dental hygienist spreading the bleaching gel on your teeth and then using a laser or UV light to speed up the bleaching process. These are the safest and most reliable treatments. Dentists are allowed to use stronger bleaching solutions than you can buy over the counter, but you pay for their time and expertise.

Many people opt for home kits. These cost less than having a professional do the work, though prices and effectiveness vary enormously. The bleaching gel in home kits varies in strength too, though it will always be weaker than that used by dentists. This means that visible results may take longer. Don't be tempted to use more concentrated solutions; the tray that holds the bleach will fit your teeth less well than a custom-made one and there's a danger you'll damage your gums and risk losing your teeth rather than improving them. You can use whitening strips, which also contain a bleaching agent, but if your teeth are a little uneven then you may get patchy results. Always follow the instructions; strips or trays left on too long can permanently damage your teeth.

In most cases, the cheapest commercially available method is a whitening toothpaste. These are based either on activated charcoal to remove the stains, baking soda to act as an abrasive, or a combination of the two. Brushing regularly with a whitening toothpaste will make a difference over time, though you shouldn't expect instant results.

Some people do report changes in a short time, though this may be because they're keen for the toothpaste to work so they spend longer than usual brushing to remove more plaque. If your teeth are badly stained then you'll notice a difference more quickly; badly stained teeth are often more porous. This means that they stain easily but they can be whitened easily too.

Home remedies promise results for little expense, but are the least reliable and take longest to produce results. Websites promoting natural teeth whitening methods use anecdotal evidence from people who have seen amazing results; even if these are true, one or two success stories does not mean that the method will work for everyone.

Many home remedies simply involve taking the bleaching or abrasive ingredients of toothpaste and applying them directly to your teeth. This might work, but is unlikely to be more effective than using the toothpaste. And too much use of abrasives such as baking soda or clay powder will wear away your enamel, causing your teeth to appear more yellow. Other "natural" whitening solutions, such as oil pulling, can reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth and improve your oral health but will not make any difference to existing stains on your teeth.

If you want to have a whiter smile, the best thing you can do is take care of your teeth throughout your life. Brush and floss thoroughly, particularly after food and drinks that will stain your teeth. If you want to remove stains, you'll pay more for the most effective, quickest acting treatments. If you're on a budget, be prepared for slower and less noticeable results. Remember that removing stains will return your teeth to their natural color (which may be slightly yellow) and that making your teeth white doesn't mean that they'll permanently stay white; you'll need to work to keep them gleaming.

*https://www.statista.com/statistics/805698/value-of-the-global-teeth-whitening-market/#:~:text=The%20value%20of%20the%20global,billion%20U.S.%20dollars%20by%202021.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes