I want a whiter smile for my big day.
What’s the cheapest way to get it?
Everyone wants whiter teeth these days. There are tons of
over-the-counter choices, but the quickest, safest and best
way to a whiter smile is still through your dentist. If money’s
no object, laser bleaching is the fastest method, at 500-1,000
per session, with an average of two treatments necessary for
optimal effect. A less-expensive in-office technique uses
a high-intensity light to speed up whitening. This runs upwards
of 200 per arch, with two treatments necessary.
But, according to Bruce Lachot,practitioner of family and
cosmetic dentistry in Manchester, the best method is also
one of the cheapest. ”We can fit patients with custom-made
bleaching trays to use at home. They fill it with a solution
that works during the night,” says Lachot. ”It takes
one or two weeks, but the advantage is that you have the trays
and you can rebleach down the road.” On average, this
process costs 250 for trays and solution for the initial bleaching.
Extra solution tubes are 20, and they rewhiten your teeth
in a few days, even if your teeth have returned to their natural
yellow.
Beware of over-the-counter bleaching tray methods which can
permanently damage the dental enamel ”With a doctor,
you have long-term, continued usage that is monitored. If
you use over-the-counter products, you may do damage to your
teeth and gums, and no one will be accountable,” says
Lachot.
Everyone wants whiter teeth these days. There are tons of
over-the-counter choices, but the quickest, safest and best
way to a whiter smile is still through your dentist. If money’s
no object, laser bleaching is the fastest method, at 500-1,000
per session, with an average of two treatments necessary for
optimal effect. A less-expensive in-office technique uses
a high-intensity light to speed up whitening. This runs upwards
of 200 per arch, with two treatments necessary. 
