What's the Cheapest Way to a Whiter Smile?

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.