Tooth Whitening is one of the most common cosmetic services offered by Dentists. Generally, teeth whiteners make use of bleaching chemicals which get absorbed into the tooth enamel and trigger an oxidation reaction that results in the disintegration of the staining compounds. A majority of tooth whiteners use either of these two chemical agents namely; carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide.


Dentists usually administer in-office treatments or at-home treatments. In the in-office procedure, the dentist gently cleans the patients teeth with pumice and then applies a protective barrier on the gums. The dentist then places a paste of hydrogen peroxide on the teeth for a few minutes, rinses it off, and generally reapplies it numerous times. In the case of At-home systems, the dentist may use 10 to 20 percent carbamide peroxide gels. A good combination of in-office and at-home systems can attain up to 12 to 15 shades of whitening in most patients. These processes are regarded as safe and effective when monitored by a dentist.

Dentist supervised systems have their own advantages and disadvantages when compared to over-the-counter tooth whitening products. The most important advantage of the dentist supervised system is that the dentist can determine if tooth whitening needs to be performed on a particular patient and if it will prove to be effective for him/her. Moreover, the dentist can also decide what kind of tooth whitening is required and the concentration of the whitening gels. The dentist can track the progress of patients and treat those who experience sensitivity to whitening agents. Finally, the dentist can help the patient explore several other cosmetic dental options.

The major disadvantages of Dentist supervised whitening systems are higher cost and longer time required for the treatment to get started. The in-office and at-home tooth whitening systems can cost anywhere between $300-$1,000 or sometimes even more. In most of the cases, at-home systems are more cost-effective when compared to the in-office systems. In the case of dentist supervised systems, the patient has to schedule an appointment, wait to be seen by the dentist and evaluated, and then be treated for the dental problem.By: Mark SmithinArticle Directory: http://www.articledashboard.comThe Mews Dental Studio, www.themewsdentalstudio.co.uk , is Southampton's only Specialist Dental referral centre specialising in Prosthodontics, Oral Surgery and Practice limited to Endodontics.