If you want to whiten your teeth and have chosen tray whitening, you will be able to decide between a home kit and one you get from your dentist. Professional tray whitening naturally has many benefits, but so does a store-bought tray whitening kit. Here are some good and bad things about each of these options.
Store-Bought Trays Are Less Expensive
One of the big benefits to choosing a tray whitening system sold in stores as opposed to one you get from your dentist is the fact that they are less expensive. A high-quality kit might only cost a few hundred dollars. However, the in-office tray whitening systems can cost $1,000 or more.
Professional Tray Whitening Systems Are Custom-Made
A large advantage of the professional tray whitening systems over store-bought systems is that they are custom-made. The reason it costs more is you first visit the dentist to get impressions made of your teeth, which help to create moulds. These moulds are sent to a dental lab, where they fabricate a set of trays that fit your teeth perfectly. Since they fit over your teeth perfectly, the whitening results will be more evenly distributed and look much better than if you got standard trays. The trays sold in kits are meant for the average person's teeth. They might be too small, too large, or only fit over some of your teeth well.
Some Store-Bought Trays Let You Create Moulds
Some of the newer tray whitening systems you purchase in the store now come with the ability to make your own teeth moulds. While they are more expensive than the standard trays, it does give you the advantage of having trays that are a little closer to the shape of your teeth. However, keep in mind that since you are doing it yourself instead of having a dentist and laboratory create them for you, the quality will still be less than what you get with in-office tray whitening systems.
Professional Whitening is Monitored by a Dentist
The first couple steps of using custom-made trays will be monitored by our dentist. When the trays come in, you are not just sent home to use them on your own. The dentist will actually show you how to put on the gel and place the trays properly. They will also be there if you have questions about the trays or getting your teeth to a certain shade of white. You can return to the dentist if you are not happy with the results.
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