If there could be one unmistakably universal way to say ‘hello’, it would be through smiling. And if you could throw in some pearly white teeth into the mix, then the ‘hello’ would become warmer. That is why most of us are always searching for ways to brighten that smile through different cosmetic dental procedures, with teeth whitening being at the top of the list.

But what do you know about teeth whitening? Does it work? Is chairside teeth whitening better than home teeth whitening? And what about natural teeth whitening remedies, are they effective? Well, Dr Neha Rathod, Aesthetic and General Dentist at King’s College Hospital London Dubai shares her sentiments regarding the subject, as well as the teeth whitening options you might have.

But first, what is teeth whitening in general?

Teeth whitening is a very gentle and predictable way of brightening the smile, which gives your teeth a little bit more life to them by changing their colour. The procedure is conservative, and it’s not destructive to the teeth. There’s a lot of products in the market that claim to do the job, as well as gimmicky fads like charcoal toothpaste, which is not something that really whitens your teeth. So, if you’re going to look for something that will actually change the colour of your teeth effectively, it’s got to be cosmetic teeth whitening treatment.

Teeth Whitening Options

There were two types of teeth whitening; home whitening and office whitening or chairside whitening.

1. Home teeth whitening

Home teeth whitening is a very gentle and comfortable way of doing it. For this teeth whitening option, you would have customised trays made for your teeth, then your cosmetic dentist would give you the bleach to put in the tray and apply to your teeth on a daily basis until you are happy with the colour that you see.

There are different strengths of bleach involved. For instance, if your teeth are quite sensitive, we would give you a very gentle one. And if your teeth are not particularly sensitive, we can start you on a higher strength. Additionally, we can tailor them to suit your teeth.

During the home teeth whitening options, you can always skip a night or two if you’re getting a bit of sensitivity until you get comfortable throughout and the teeth gradually get brighter. After your desired whiteness has been achieved, you can keep your kit then use it for one or two nights every couple of months.

In terms of duration, a consistent 4 weeks is recommended if you’re using the gentlest bleach. And to achieve the best results, you have to be totally committed. If you take the time to do it every day it will work really well for you. After all, it’s a very easy process that’s not technically difficult.

2. Chair teeth whitening

Chairside teeth whitening options are the opposite of home teeth whitening in that it gives very instant results. For home kits, it might take weeks to get you there. The process of chairside whitening is quicker, whereby you come in, sit in the chair, we apply bleach to your teeth then we shine a light on it, which accelerates the bleach, leaving you with a brighter smile at the end of your appointment. We usually repeat the cycles for as many times as you’re comfortable with, up to a maximum of maybe three or four cycles. The bleach that we use is usually stronger than the bleach in a home kit.

If you have sensitive teeth, chairside teeth whitening is probably not the best option because the strength of the bleach is a bit higher. On the other hand, there are things you can do to make your teeth a little bit less sensitive before you come in for the treatment.

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3. Combination of home and chair teeth whitening options

If you are looking for the end results of your teeth to be whiter than before, the best option would be a combination of the two teeth whitening options. Here you’ll have the chair whitening to kickstart the teeth whitening process, giving you an instantly brighter smile. After this, you’ll need to use the home kit to top up a little bit until you’re happy, and then to keep using it for maintenance purposes a few nights a month.

If you’re looking to brighten your teeth with the above teeth whitening options, you may want to stay away from things like smoking, coloured juices, tea, coffee and anything similar. If you keep up with such habits, then obviously the results won’t last as long.