Dental Whitening Kit

There is some confusion regarding the use of home teeth whitening kits or solutions and the quality of work done by your dentist or dental office. When it comes to teeth whitening, there are several important differences that anyone should consider.

The first consideration is the convenience getting to the end result. There's no question that a dentist is interested in your overall dental care. Therefore they are more likely to focus on healthy, usable teeth and less on esthetics. If you think about it, this is actually a good thing.

Understand that the quality of the teeth whitening however is very comparable. The dentist typically will use much stronger whitener gels to achieve faster results. They may also use a laser or blue light which when used with special gel is claimed to work even faster. Speed however is not the reason why you're considering getting your teeth whitened, it's for a brighter smile.

The dentist will achieve results faster but they also need a formal appointment which makes the dental method less convenient.

The next important point of interest is the ability to whiten or what the final result will look like. Here, both the home teeth whitening solutions and the dentist both do an excellent job. The difference is that although the dentist may get faster results, there is a risk of your teeth becoming sensitive to temperature extremes due to the aggressive nature of the dental whitening materials used.

Another point is the need for occasional maintenance treatments. The benefit here definitely goes to the home whiteners because you can treat your teeth anytime you feel they are starting to get a little stained or dull. The dentist method will require another appointment and treatment at their office.

Finally there's the overall cost. A high quality home teeth whitening product can be obtained for under 150 dollars. This is typically more than enough to whitening and brighten your smile in less than a couple of weeks. The dental method typically can cost several hundred up to as much as 800 dollars for the initial treatment without considering the expense of the maintenance treatments that will be needed.

Bottom line is that if you have strong and healthy teeth, using a home whitening solution can save you money and deliver the same bright smile and unstained teeth as the dentist. In the end, home whitening is both an economical, safe and convenient way to whiten all your teeth and bring back that youthful smile.

The General Dental Council to Stamp Out Illegal Tooth Whitening

While the argument continues as to whether or not over the counter tooth whitening products are both safe an effective, the UK’s General Dental Council have started their own battle against unlicensed and unqualified individuals offering tooth whitening services.

On the 26th October 2006 the General Dental Council (GDC) started their battle against individuals offering tooth whitening treatments when they are not qualified to perform the tooth whitening procedure.

It was stated that the GDC believe, in the interest of public safety, tooth whitening procedures or clinical advice about such treatments should only be offered by qualified dental practitioners. Any information passed to the GDC that might in anyway indicate that dentistry, cosmetic or otherwise, including any form of tooth whitening procedure, is being practiced illegally will be investigated.

It has been highlighted that under section 38 of the Dentists Act 1984 (as amended) it is a criminal offence for anyone who is not registered with the GDC (or, in exceptional circumstances someone who is registered with another dentistry body) to practise dentistry (which includes all work inside a person’s mouth) in the UK.

From the 31st July 2008 dental care controls are expected to tighten with no one being able to work in the dental industry, in the UK, including all dental therapists and dental hygienists as well as family and cosmetic dentists without being registered with the GDC.

Focus is also being placed on over the counter tooth whitening products in the interest of consumer safety. For many years ‘over the counter’ tooth whitening products such as tray based tooth whitening, tooth whitening strips and more recently home based laser whitening products have been recognised as cosmetic products in European directives. With new legislation in the offing the range of tooth whitening products offered within the European Community is expected to increase but with it comes the possibility of tighter controls over tooth whitening products that contain more than 6% hydrogen peroxide.

In the wake of such tighter controls will come the questions as to how dangerous are chair based tooth whitening procedures and what level of training is required to become competent in the tooth whitening industry. Also, will the ongoing increasing regulations restrict the availability of effective home based tooth whitening products in the future and will everyone in the UK have to fork out £500 a shot for the luxury of a whiter smile.