In the quest for a Hollywood smile, teeth whitening has become a billion dollar industry in the United States. It’s considered cosmetic dentistry, along with bonding and veneers. In order to make this procedure more accessible to people that can’t afford to have cosmetic dentistry done, there are multiple options available. Tooth sensitivity is a possible side effect of all of the methods.

There is the more expensive zoom whitening procedure, which is done at a dentist’s office and tends to have dramatic results. The benefit of this procedure is that it’s usually done in one visit and often gets your teeth several shades whiter. The downside of zoom whitening is that it is somewhat expensive. Also, you will have to do some type of maintenance throughout time.

Another option is to have a mold of your teeth made at a dentist’s office and have bleach trays made. To whiten teeth using bleach trays, you use the teeth bleach in the trays for a set amount daily. The exact use should be determined by your dentist. However, it’s generally around one hour per day. Full results are seen after approximately two weeks of using the trays. The benefits of using whitening trays is that it’s not as expensive as laser whitening. Also, as you own the trays, it’s easy to maintain your teeth whitening over time. The downside of this procedure is that it doesn’t produce instant results.

The most common method of teeth whitening is over-the-counter whitening strips, gels and trays. The trays are not as effective as the trays that you would receive at the dentist’s office as they aren’t specially molded for your teeth. The gel that is sold over-the-counter is not as effective as the professional bleaching gel. At the same time, many people achieve excellent results using over-the-counter products, particularly whitening strips. These are worn on your teeth and take about two weeks to take effect. The benefit of these products are that they are less expensive than the other options. The downside is that they take longer to work and often don’t work as well as other options.

Whitening your teeth is one way to freshen your look, and even look younger. Discolored teeth can be aging and make you feel less confident. Take advantage of the new options available for brightening and whitening your teeth.