At Home Teeth Whitening: What Options Are Available To Whiten My Teeth At Home?

There are a number of ways to tackle whitening your teeth for a better, brighter smile, including at home teeth whitening, which is often seen as the most convenient of methods.  By whitening your teeth at home, you can save money, avoid the inconvenience of going to the dentist, and really be in control of your whitening routine.  This level of control and customization is what makes many people choose home teeth whitening routines over other options that are more expensive and can often require multiple dentist visits.

To truly be able to select the appropriate and best at home teeth whitening method, you should first learn a bit about the many different choices that you have.  By learning about what they each have to offer and taking into account the amount of money that you want to spend, as well as how much progress you want to make with the whiteness of your teeth, you can make an informed decision.

How Does Home Teeth Bleaching Work?

The basics of home teeth whiteners are the same, regardless of the product that you choose.  In general, a chemical such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide is used as the active ingredient for many whitening products and treatments.  Carbamide peroxide is much like hydrogen peroxide, but not as strong.

Therefore, most of the higher end teeth whitening products either feature hydrogen peroxide, or a higher concentration of carbamide peroxide.

There are a number of different ways to go about whitening or bleaching your teeth, which we will go over in more detail later.  For instance, you can use trays that are either one-size fits all or custom molded to your teeth that keep the gel up against your teeth where it belongs, or you can find at home teeth whitening kits that allow you to apply the gel or powder manually with a pen or other item.  Before we get into all of that, let’s talk about some over the counter teeth whitening solutions.

Over the Counter Teeth Whitening Solutions

The vast majority of teeth whitening products now are available over the counter, either by buying them online, through the mail, or through most retail stores.  Because teeth whitening is not exactly a dangerous process, you do not need a prescription to get even the more powerful at home teeth whiteners, which is a relief.  At the same time, you may find that you are a bit confused on which way to go because of the sheer number of choices available.  This is why it is important to whittle the choices down to a manageable number using your own criteria.

For instance, how much do you want to spend?  This is the easiest way to narrow down the possible contenders, by far.  Another way to narrow it down is to determine whether you have a preference in the treatment time required for noticeable results (which may correlate with price, too), or the application method, which we will explain in more detail in the next several paragraphs.

Just remember, though: home teeth whitening is not like other areas of self improvement or medicine.  There is no “prescription strength” option that is far better than what you can simply walk up to the counter or go online and buy.  This is to your advantage, because you can simply go on your own instincts and buy the product that best fits your budget and preferences as a consumer.  Also, you don’t have to make a special visit to the dentist to find the right at home teeth whitener if you do not want to, though consulting with your dentist is certainly not a bad idea.

Popular Tooth Whitening Kits

Some of the most popular tooth whitening kits around are sold exclusively on the internet.  While some are more likely to be comfortable buying products that they can find locally at the store and see in person, there are a ton of great diy teeth whitening kits found online, where they can be sold for a cheaper price than if they were sold through a major retailer, while retaining a very high level of quality.

A couple of great examples would be Alta White and Idol White.  These are both available online and are applied directly to the teeth to work.  With Alta White, you apply the powdery substance with a swab that is provided, while you use what they call a whitener pen with Idol White.  Either way, both products provide fantastic results that you will begin to see after just a few days of regular usage.

What About Tooth Whitening Trays?

Other products that can be found online use teeth whitening trays.  The Therabrite Whitening Kit is one of those products, and comes from a brand (TheraBreath) that is already very well known for all kinds of oral hygiene products.  With this whitening kit, you get a mouthguard that is easily molded to fit your teeth, which ensures that the powerful 21% carbamide peroxide gel does its job without accidentally bleaching your gums or whitening your teeth in an uneven fashion.

Maximum Teeth Whitening is another great product which works similarly by using a tray or mouthpiece which is again able to be molded to your teeth.  With Maximum Teeth Whitening, you can choose from a 22% or 35% carbamide peroxide formula.

There is also often the option to have your dentist set you up with a whitening kit for home use that uses a custom molded tray, which will obviously fit a bit better than one that you fit yourself at home.  The other advantage with this kind of choice is that you will be able to consult with your dentist and ask them any kinds of questions that you may have.  Some folks may also find that it is easier to trust a product that is given to them by their dentist, but to each his or her own!

Whitening Teeth At Home – The Teeth Whitening Pen and Other Options

As mentioned earlier, trays and mouthguards aren’t the only way to reliably use whitening gels and solutions.  Besides using strips that adhere to your teeth for the duration of the treatment, there are also a growing number of teeth whitening pens.  Teeth whitening pens, such as the BriteSmile Whitening Pen, are convenient and can be used anywhere, and do not require you to wear a mouthpiece or stick a strip to your teeth.  You simply brush the gel, which is usually a hydrogen peroxide gel, to your teeth in a similar manner to how you would apply polish to your finger or toenails.

If you want a teeth whitening pen or brush that is available in stores, both Colgate and Crest have their own products out now as well that are very similar in how they are used.  They may run a little less expensive than some of the other whitening pens and brushes, but many consumers swear by the results that they have gotten from BriteSmile and other similar products.

Should You Consider Professional Tooth Whitening?

Of course, there are other choices besides at home teeth whitening, as well.  In fact, some of the most efficient and effective methods of tooth whitening are professional tooth whitening methods.  These specifically include the work done by dentists, who often conduct whitening treatments in the office for their patients. These treatments include methods similar to what is used in many at home kits, though usually with a much higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide.

Other dentist treatments would include light activated whitening treatments, which are often called laser whitening treatments.  Light activated, or laser whitening treatments use a specific gel or whitening solution which is carefully applied to your teeth by a dentist.  Following the application, a special light or laser is used to shine on your teeth, which works in concert with the gel or solution to dramatically speed up the whitening process.

This kind of treatment is great because it works fine with fillings and does not bother one’s gums.  Also, the results are long lasting and can provide up to ten shades of improvement in a single visit, which is a tremendous change.  Of course, the price, which can be upwards of $1,000, means that you will have to be dedicated to whitening your teeth in order to consider such a method.

In closing, there is nearly no end to the incredible number of options available if you want to whiten your teeth, even if you prefer to do so in the comfort of your own home.  Where there used to be just a few choices that were available in your local store or online, now you can find dozens and dozens of at home teeth whitening products with a wide variety of prices and benefits.  This means that it is possible to work within your budget and find an at home whitening kit, gel or product that can give you the kind of results that you have been looking for.  Now that you have a good idea of the many different home tooth whitening options available, you are ready to start whitening your smile for once and for all!