There are so many options for DIY and at-home whitening treatments that it may be hard to identify a reason to visit your dentist. Anytime you open your social media you’re faced with ads for whitening treatments, gels, and toothpaste that promise to give you all the same results your local dentist can.

Truthfully, the only way to get a long-lasting, safe, and thorough whitening treatment is to go through a dental professional to have it done.

Before we go into all the benefits of visiting a professional for this enhancement, let’s look at the more surface-level ones, and why some patients may need or want teeth whitening treatments. If you frequently partake in activities such as:

This can sometimes spell out trouble for both the color and health of your teeth. If you’ve been experiencing these inconsistencies in your oral health for a long period of time, a DIY whitening kit may not be able to penetrate and brighten as deeply as you’ll need.

Instead of wasting your money on infomercial whitening products that may not work, or buying from an ad that popped up on your Facebook page, let’s look at why booking a whitening with your dentist is the method that will benefit you the most long term!

  • With a Dentist, Your Whitening Treatment is Customized

When you purchase a kit from a store or online, it should be kept in mind that these kits are intended to be a one size fits all approach to whitening. We know that everyone is different, and no two mouths the same, so this isn’t exactly ideal when dealing with discoloration.

Your dentist can customize your treatment to fit your exact whitening needs by assessing the areas you need it the most, and asking you questions to determine how little or how much whitening you would like. This gives you an open line of communication when it comes to your oral needs, and allows you to obtain the precise amount of whitening that you’ve been hoping for.

Your dentist will also be able to whiten in specific areas, like the ones with more severe discoloration. With a whitening kit you’ve taken home to try, you may not know how to accurately and specifically target these highly problematic areas – this may leave you with a funky, still discolored smile.

  • Whitening with a Professional is Safer

When it comes to your oral health, as a likely inexperienced individual, you most likely don’t want to be taking the reins. Your oral needs are complicated and specific and should be left to a professional to identify and treat.

Some over the counter whitening treatments that claim to work have been known to cause a certain level of damage, not so much to the teeth, but more so to the gums and tissues in your mouth. When these tissues are damaged, you may be opening yourself up to tooth sensitivity when eating and drinking. This is because there’s little to no protection for your gums, and other sensitive areas of your mouth when using these whitening kits.

When you visit a professional, your whitening journey won’t be left up to guesswork. The dentist performing your treatment will ensure that all sensitive regions of the mouth are covered before proceeding. They’ll also ensure that the amount of whitening product they’re using is both accurate and can be easily controlled; not to mention, you have professional monitoring it the whole way.

Last but not least, your dentist will be able to give you detailed instructions for post-appointment care. You’ll have exact tips and tricks for avoiding issues such as tooth sensitivity, or being able to limit it in the time after your treatment. This leaves you in good hands and with good advice after a safe and successful treatment.

  • Whitening with a Professional is Faster

 It may be surprising that booking an appointment, commuting to it and spending time in a chair can be faster than picking up a kit and getting to work yourself, but it’s true – professional whitening treatments take far less time.

Professional treatments can actually cut down treatment time way more than you think. When you go the professional route, the duration of your treatment from start to finish will take roughly one hour. In one short session, you’ll be given your final whitening result. With at-home treatments, you sometimes have to endure multiple rounds and sessions of whitening before reaching your desired outcome, if you ever get there – as we know, some treatments won’t work, or won’t last.

Not only will your procedure be quick and easy, but the final result will also last a long time. Your dentist will most likely recommend maintenance and upkeep for post-treatment in order to maintain your newly whitened smile, and if you follow protocol, your smile will remain white for a very long period of time!

  • With a Professional, Your Whitening Treatment is Strong and Thorough

DIY kits, if they do anything, will mostly just tackle light, surface-level stains. If your teeth are near perfect with just a little discoloration, these kits might almost do the job – but the outcome won’t last.

To truly whiten the teeth, the treatment will need to penetrate below the surface. This is especially the case if you’re experiencing severe discoloration, yellowing, or browning of the teeth. If you think your teeth feel cleaner than you could ever get them after a trip to the dentist for a cleaning, you’ll think the same when you visit them for a whitening treatment!

All in all, it’s always best to leave any treatment or procedure to the professionals. There’s no point in risking your oral health for a whiter smile – especially when your local dentist is always just one phone call away to get the job done right!

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