We’ve been receiving emails from our users who are asking if it is safe to try or shift to at-home whitening products. Obviously, there’s a silver lining to reducing dental costs by doing the whitening yourself. Should you opt for either DIY or professional, there are advantages and disadvantages to both, so pay attention.

First off, a dentist went through eight years of medical/biological studies, then dental school before becoming a public dental practitioner. That alone is enough to convince any patient that they are in safe hands with their dentist. Dentists are afraid of getting disbarred from their practice so it’s their utmost responsibility to carefully attune themselves to their patients’ needs – particularly with the stuff they recommend and treat their patients with. An example of which are whitening procedures administered inside the clinic. Dentists know the exact amount and concentration of bleaching and whitening treatments the patient’s teeth can tolerate, because there’s a high possibility of “tooth abrasion” if the whitening substance is left unattended or not thoroughly removed from the patient’s teeth.

And whitening isn’t whitening without the risks involved. First of all, expect actual results to deviate from advertised results if the application of whitening/material on the teeth doesn’t follow what’s inscribed on the directions label. Another important thing to consider is if your teeth are physiologically fit to undergo a whitening process—regardless if it’s dentist-administered or an at-home application. There are also risks involved with the toxicity levels of at-home dental whitening products. Concentrated hydrogen peroxide, one of the key ingredients of at-home dental whitening products, has been known to burn the lining of the mouth on several occasions. To date, there are thousands of dental whitening products available the world over—most of these being sold on eBay. A lot of these products have not met the safety standards of the American Dental Association not the blessing of the European Dental Association. Most of these products are cheaper than popular brands, so they immediately grasp the attention of budget-conscious shoppers. Many of these products also make their way to grocery stores because of the lack of regulation from the FDA. So, caveat emptor – do your research before buying any at-home dental product, whether for whitening purposes or not.

We strongly support in-office dental treatments and ADA-approved dental whitening products because they respectively cater to both the upper and middle class market segments. A lot of people cannot afford the luxury to get frequent dental fixes, so the need arises for low-cost, do-it-yourself products like dental-whitening kits. There are also cases like unprecedented social gatherings and meetings where time is of the essence and one cannot afford to wait for an appointment to come through.

If you’re bent on a bustling, busy lifestyle, it’s still best to get your dentist’s recommendation if you could try out dental whitening products. Get only dentist-approved whitening products; better yet, purchased from the dental clinic, so the dentist has the full liability in case anything goes wrong the product.

If you are currently enrolled in a dental insurance program, see if it covers dental whitening services and also look out if your dentist is not an affiliate of insurance provider. You can practically save a lot more if you fully utilize the worth of your dental insurance.

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