Teeth Whitening: Reviews

Reviews agree that professional tooth-whitening treatments are, by far, the quickest and most successful way to brighten teeth. This can be done at a dentist-supervised whitening center, such as BriteSmile, or by your own… dentist with a procedure like the Zoom! Chairside Whitening System. Office techniques use light therapy to speed up the bleaching action of hydrogen peroxide, lightening teeth up to ten shades in about an hour. While it's the most expensive option, it also lasts the longest, up to a couple of years. A cheaper option (*est. $200 or more) is an ADA-approved bleaching kit provided by your dentist. These offer a custom-fitted mouth tray that you wear at home, either for one to two hours per day or overnight.

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Over-the-counter whitening systems are much cheaper, but not nearly as effective or long lasting as professional tooth-whitening. Of the various options on the market, Crest Whitestrips Premium receives the most praise.… Worn twice a day for 30 minutes each session for one week, they contain 10% peroxide. On average, they lighten more than three shades. One drawback is that the strips can cause you to drool, so these are probably best used at home.

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Most at-home kits rely on trays or stick-on strips. The Go Smile system consists of individual tubes of gel (with 6% peroxide), each of which comes with a small brush. The gel is squeezed onto the brush and then scrubbed… onto the teeth, reaching into areas that are difficult to cover with a strip. Go Smile does not have to be removed, so you can use it anywhere. Go Smile receives good marks whenever it is reviewed. Testers praise the convenience and ease of use and some see results within a couple of uses. Consumers claim that they experience less sensitivity issues with Go Smile than with other whitening treatments. It still isn't as effective as a treatment at your dentist, however.

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