If you find yourself looking in the mirror and saying enough is enough when it comes to the color of your teeth, you may find yourself wondering what options are available to you as far as teeth whitening goes. No matter how stained or discolored your teeth may be right now, there are many different treatment options available to you. However, when you have never done any type of whitening treatment before, you might not know where to start in your pursuit of teeth whitening services. Get to know more about a few of the options available to you so you can choose the best one possible and get your teeth looking whiter and brighter as soon as possible.

Whitening Toothpastes

One of the many teeth whitening options available to you comes in the form of the toothpaste that your brush with at least twice a day. Whitening toothpastes are readily available in drugstores and general stores. These toothpastes vary in the amount of whitening chemicals that they contain but in general, these toothpastes are the mildest forms of whitening treatments.

If you only have slight discoloration on your teeth due to age or perhaps because of a love of coffee or colas, then you may want to give a whitening toothpaste a try before moving on to other options. Whitening toothpastes are significantly less expensive than other whitening options which does make them appealing, but may not give you noticeable results if your teeth have severe staining.

At-Home Teeth Whitening Trays or Strips

The next step up in strength for teeth whitening is at-home treatments in the form of trays or strips. Whitening strips are thin strips that almost look like clear bandages that you place around your teeth. They stay on for a period of time (maybe thirty minutes to an hour) and then you remove and dispose of them, wiping away any residue they might leave behind. Generally, a person would use these strips daily for a month or a few months and then take some time off.

Whitening trays, on the other hand, involve filling a foam or plastic tray with a gel-like whitening solution. These trays are kept on the teeth for about the same amount of time as the strips. However, the whitening solution is stronger and more potent, making it noticeable more quickly and making it more effective overall. At-home whitening trays are more expensive than the strips as well.

Professional Teeth Whitening Services

If you have serious staining on your teeth or your stains are due to factors beyond the average age-related or food and drink-related issues, the best option for you will likely be professional teeth whitening services. While the at-home options are more convenient and less expensive, they can only do so much for severely stained teeth.

The reason for this is that the chemicals used to remove stains from teeth can be quite caustic, meaning that they can cause damage to the soft tissues in your mouth if they come into contact with them and can even damage the teeth themselves if left on too long. Dentists can safely apply, monitor and remove these whitening chemicals more easily and therefore are able to use more potent whitening agents to get you the brighter, whiter smile you are looking for.

Professional whitening sessions can take between thirty minutes to an hour or more and may require several sessions to fully remove darker and more stubborn stains. Your dentist may also send you home with an at-home whitening system to continue to tackle stains after the professional treatment to speed up the whitening process for you.

With these options in mind, you can be sure that you find the right treatment to get your teeth as bright and white as possible in no time. Click here to discover more about teeth whitening.