Teeth Whitening Home Kits and What You Should Know

When it comes to teeth whitening, many options are available, from professional whitening treatments to over-the-counter kits. Many people choose OTC whitening treatments for their convenience, but before you go the drugstore route, we encourage you to stop by for a consultation to ensure at-home whitening is the right choice for you.

Whitening can be a great way to eliminate stains from your teeth, but not all stains respond equally well to conventional whitening methods. Stains caused by coffee, tea, wine, soft drinks, and tobacco, and age usually respond best to peroxide-based whitening. Fluorosis, trauma-related discoloration, and other types of stains deep inside the tooth are unlikely to respond to superficial bleaching.

A consultation can also identify any untreated dental disease that could compromise your results. The whitening ingredients can aggravate decayed teeth and trigger pain. In some cases, they can even cause nerve damage, so getting cavities fixed before whitening is vital.

Finally, at your consultation, we can discuss your expectations. OTC whitening offers only subtle whitening, so if you are looking for more dramatic results, you might benefit from a professional-grade whitening that can lighten teeth eight shades or more. Call us today to learn more or to schedule your consultation with our Los Angeles teeth whitening doctor.