If you’re on social media at all, you’ve probably seen influencers or advertisers promoting teeth whitening products that claim to work just as well as professional treatments, but at a fraction of the cost. But do they work? If all those paid promotions are to believe they sure seem to. But in the age of filters and cosmetic dentistry, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction.
If you’ve been wondering if those so-called “miracle” products are really worth the investment, here’s everything you need to know about the difference between professional and OTC whitening.
Ingredients
When deciding whether to use professional or OTC whitening products, the first thing you need to consider is the active ingredients. While OTC products are often a lot more affordable, there’s a reason for this. These products often have diluted amounts of bleaching agents, enabling them to cost less. Unfortunately, however, this also means that they take a lot longer to get results.
Price
Say you buy an OTC whitening kit you see online for $100. The kit contains everything you need to treat your teeth at home, but only for about a month. After 30 days, you still don’t see any noticeable changes, so you then must purchase a second kit. Now your total investment is up to $200, and your smile is still not white enough. At this point you’ve not only invested your hard-earned money, but you’ve also invested a great deal of your time with nothing to show for it.
The truth is, though these kits may seem more affordable up front, after months of lackluster results, you might as well have paid for professional treatment from the beginning!
Sensitivity
A valid concern of many patients who are considering teeth whitening is sensitivity. Though temporary, this can be very uncomfortable. Now, you may be inclined to believe that using diluted ingredients such as those in OTC kits is the solution, but this is not typically true. The problem is that with OTC products, you’ll need to use them longer than you would with professional treatment. For example, one in-office Zoom treatment can remove up to eight shades of discoloration in about one hour. Conversely, those white strips require you to wear them every day for weeks and could take many months before you even see results close to what you’d get from a professional treatment. Even the take-home kits available through your dentist work faster (in about two weeks) than OTC kits and can achieve the same results as Zoom in about two weeks!
With professional whitening, your teeth are exposed to these chemicals for a shorter period, so any sensitivity will go away much faster than they would with the diluted ingredients found in those OTC kits.
Time
Finally, if time is of the essence and you need to have whiter teeth for an upcoming special event like photos, a wedding, a big job interview, or a formal dance, your professional whitening treatment can be done in about one hour. We recommend scheduling your appointment about two weeks before the big day, but once you do, you won’t need to worry about finding time in your daily schedule to lighten your teeth for months on end, giving you back your free time and eliminating the stress of wondering if they’ll be ready by your deadline!
Remember, OTC whitening kits may seem like a good deal at first, but the truth is, between the constant need to invest in refills, the prolonged exposure to whitening agents, and the time spent sitting with gels or strips on your teeth, using a faster, more effective solution like professional whitening is simply a better value.
About Our Practice
At San Marcos Gentle Dental, we want to help you get your best smile ever. That’s why in addition to placing a heavy emphasis on comfort, we are also proud to showcase our skills. If you are looking for a solution to dull, stained, or discolored teeth, Zoom whitening provides fast and effective results in just one treatment, and our customized take home kits can deliver similar results in about two weeks. Don’t waste another hard-earned dollar on diluted OTC kits that don’t deliver on their promises. Schedule a professional whitening consultation with us today by visiting our website or calling 512-396-5225