San Ramon Cosmetic Dentistry Blog | Sean Michael Anderson, D.D.S.

Everyone wants a whiter, more brilliant smile. A whiter smile can help improve your self confidence, help you feel more comfortable and relaxed in social and business settings, and give you a greater sense of freedom. With tooth whitening options ranging from take-home kits to in-office procedures however, it can be difficult to determine what solution is best for you. One determining factor is cost, but greater still is the length of time the whitening will last. Cost can, after all, be greatly increased if frequent applications are necessary to keep your smile its whitest.

Store Bought Kits

Easily the most accessible, store bought whitening kits also offer the least satisfactory results. Some kits can take weeks to start working, and during this time may cause severe tooth sensitivity. The results are also not nearly as long lasting as options provided by Dr. Anderson. Store bought kits generally provide whiter teeth for only a few months, after which the long, painful process will need to be repeated.

Professional Take-Home Kits

Take-home kits offered by Dr. Anderson start with a mold of your teeth. This already makes them superior for total tooth coverage to the strips you can buy at the store. Additionally, the whitening gel provided by Dr. Anderson is a higher strength than can obtained over the counter and produces results in a much shorter period of time. Like store-bought kits, tooth sensitivity is possible. Take-home kit results generally last up to six months.

In-Office Whitening

In-office tooth whitening takes about 90 minutes. A whitening gel is evenly and carefully applied to the teeth and then activated using a special light to speed up and enhance the effects. The result is a brilliant white smile in a comparably short period of time. Like the professional take-home kits, in office whitening generally lasts about six months, but with a proper oral hygiene routine, including professional cleanings and touch ups, the results can last much longer.

If you live in San Ramon, Danville, or Livermore, California, and would like more information on your options for professional teeth whitening, please contact experienced tooth whitening dentist Dr. Sean Anderson to schedule your free consultation.