Teeth whitening can have an incredible impact on your appearance. On a subconscious level, we tend to view those with white teeth as healthy, prosperous, and young. Over the past several years, teeth whitening procedures have become in higher demand than ever before. As a result, there are numerous teeth whitening solutions available including over-the-counter whitening strips, gel tray whitening, and laser whitening - but not all are created equally. If you're planning on spending money on teeth whitening, it's a good idea to do your research before investing money into a product that may not yield the results you're hoping for.

Over the Counter Tooth Whitening Strips

Over the counter tooth whitening strips can be found at just about any grocery store or retail department chain store. While strips are the least expensive of all the solutions, they are more of a one-size fits all solution and the least effective. Strips may be the ideal solution for those who just need a little boost of color, but not as effective for those who need to bring the brightness of their teeth up by several shades.

Tooth Whitening Gel Trays

Tooth whitening trays are an extremely popular choice. They offer the convenience of an at-home solution with the professional guidance of a dentist. More importantly, the gel agent that a dentist can provide is several times stronger than an over the counter solution. And unlike over the counter solutions, your dentist fits you with custom upper and lower teeth trays that are designed around a mold of your mouth. This means that the specialized tooth whitening gel uniformly penetrates every groove and crevice of your unique bite, rather than generally covering your teeth like an over-the-counter product which can leave spots from the ill-fitting strip.

These tooth whitening gel trays are worn in the comfort of your home for 1-2 hours. Because they are a perfect fit to your own teeth, the trays are comfortable and unobtrusive. They can be worn while watching TV, spending time on the computer, or lying in bed reading a book. This process continues for 1 to 3 weeks until your teeth are the desired shade. However, if you have leftover gel, you can pop the trays in any time you feel that you need a whitening boost - which is a big plus for those who continually come in contact with discoloring agents, such as beverages, foods, aging and more.

Laser Whitening

Laser teeth whitening is the fastest of all of the solutions - taking just about 90 minutes in the dental chair. The procedure is simple. It begins with a short preparation to cover your lips and gums, leaving only your teeth exposed. The clinician then applies the whitening gel, which was designed to be used with a specially designed light. The light and gel work together to penetrate your teeth, breaking up stains and discoloration.

Regardless of which solution you choose, it's important to work with a dentist if you want the absolute best results. As you might imagine, teeth whitening works best when teeth and gums have no plaque or periodontal disease, which make it problematic for the teeth whitening agents to work effectively.