5 Teeth Whitening Tips You Need to See Today

Whitening treatments are a quick and easy way to makeover your smile. But not everyone is ready to leap into a treatment before doing their research. That’s where we come in. In this piece, we’ll share five teeth whitening tips so you can start your whitening routine off with a bang!

Remember that different treatments render different results

Originally, whitening treatments were only available in a professional dental office. Thankfully, whitening treatments have since become available for at-home use. This opens up the field of who can explore the benefits of whitening — but do over-the-counter options sacrifice results?

There’s no denying that in-person whitening options offer dramatic results. Home kits can’t necessarily reach the exact same shades because they have a lower concentration of peroxide, but they can still deliver stark results.

At-home whitening systems aren’t a monolith — in fact, these options can run the gamut. You can buy small, easily transportable kits like whitening strips or pens. There’s also more robust options, like gel trays with or without LED attachments.

Determine your goals to narrow down your options

There’s no shortage of whitening options out there, so it can be difficult to decide which is best for your unique needs. Instead of considering every single product, we find it’s best to first narrow down the pool of options. The best way to do that? Consider your whitening treatment goals.

You might think everyone’s goals are the same: a whiter smile. But for some people, there are added considerations to take into account. For instance, do you have tooth sensitivity? If so, you may want to only consider kits with formulas tailored for sensitive teeth. Are you someone who prioritizes natural ingredients? Then it may be best to eliminate products with higher concentrations of peroxide.

When you care about the environment, every online purchase you make can come with a tiny bit of guilt. Will there be unnecessary plastic in the packaging? Is it a single use product that will go from your mouth to a landfill? Luckily, some companies have risen to the occasion to help reduce waste (and your stress levels).

There’s a whitening kit for practically everyone, regardless of how niche your priorities are.

There are ways to enhance results

Whitening treatment isn’t rocket science, but there are a few directions you need to pay attention to, especially for at home kits. Many people just skim the directions and move on, but it can help to take your time and familiarize yourself with the process.

Your provider may offer some useful tips to enhance results with their products, but there are a few general tips and tricks to follow across brands. For one thing, it’s important that your teeth are dry before applying the whitening gel, since your saliva will interfere with the peroxide. Additionally, you shouldn’t use fluoride toothpaste prior to whitening treatments, as this ingredient can render the treatment less effective.

It’s important to stay current with your dental cleanings. These appointments are not only opportunities for your dentist to ensure the health of your teeth and gums, but they’re also a great way to improve your whitening results. These treatments remove plaque and tartar, which can block the whitening agent and cause uneven results.

Consider preventative measures

It’s likely that the reason you’re whitening in the first place is because of tooth stains. So if you’re interested in whitening but wish to keep your costs and treatment frequency to a minimum, you may want to consider some measures of stain prevention.

For starters, it’s helpful to identify which of your habits may be staining your teeth in the first place. Highly pigmented food and drink are often the biggest culprits, but that doesn’t mean you need to cut them out of your life entirely. However, taking care of your teeth by practicing good oral hygiene, such as brushing and flossing regularly, can help minimize the effects of these habits on your teeth.

It helps to approach this from a health perspective. Blueberries are very good for you, but they also stain your teeth. Instead of depriving yourself from an antioxidant rich food, consider using a straw when you have your morning smoothie. If you’re looking to eliminate staining foods, stick to ones that aren’t healthy in the first place; like cola.

And of course if you smoke, quitting will help you avoid some intense teeth staining (and other much more serious health problems).

Find ways to save

When they were only offered through in-person appointments with a dentist, whitening treatments were offered at inaccessible price points. Luckily, there’s now a whole range of options for every budget. But just because you find a good deal doesn’t mean there aren’t more ways to save.

Many home whitening kits offer subscribe and save options. This means that you’ll have whitening treatments automatically delivered to your home at a frequency of your choosing. The best part? Subscribe and save options offer significant savings — up to 50% off in some cases.

Other whitening providers work with financing companies to offer payment plans for their products. This way you can get your treatment started with a lower initial investment and pay off the remainder in manageable installments.

Conclusion

There’s plenty of ways to whiten your smile. With these 5 tips, we hope you learned how to get the most out of your whitening treatment.