How Professional Whitening Differs from OTC

The cosmetic industry has created many products for teeth whitening. Choosing the right solution for your teeth now poses a challenge. Professional teeth whitening eliminates stains and discoloration from the teeth and their hidden layers. These products mostly contain hydrogen carbamide and hydrogen peroxide. Professional teeth whitening presents a better way to improve the smile on your face.

A professional teeth whitening procedure is more suitable since it involves a product with bleaching properties. These products are concentrated with bleaching solutions, resulting in adverse effects and conditions. These effects make them restricted from the public.

Comparing professional teeth whitening and OTC products

Professional whitening yields faster results and takes less time to implement. Here are some differences between professional whitening products and OTC products.

Less likely to lead to side effects or complications

The procedure is done by a dentist trained to perform such an operation. The dentist takes precaution and medical examination on your teeth to avoid complicating existing problems like tooth decay and gum irritation. However, a teeth whitening procedure can have a permanent effect if the tooth has existing conditions.

Teeth whitening often leads to increased sensitivity as a common adverse effect. The professional uses potassium nitrate to dilute the bleaching product and wash with fluoride after the procedure.

Faster results

The professional method uses higher concentrated bleaching products that whiten the teeth quickly. A single treatment can get patients the whiter teeth they desire without visiting twice. Others might have more sessions to reach the shade of white of their eyes.

Customized mouth tray

Professionals always use an adjustable mouth tray to submerge the patient’s complete teeth in the bleaching product. This mouth tray protects the aspect of the treatment reaching your gums and touching soft tissues. The gel from the treatment can cause gums to burn or irritation is not covered.

The mouth tray is customized to completely fit a patient’s mouth, covering the teeth and preventing the bleaching gel from reaching unwanted areas. The impression of the patient’s mouth is first taken, and after two weeks, the mouth tray is forged.

Active Ingredients

Peroxide is highly concentrated in most teeth whitening products. When purchasing one, check the list of ingredients and make sure it contains either carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide. If the product is missing these ingredients, the procedure might not work effectively.

The ingredients are added to different concentration levels. The more potent products have a higher level of whitening agents, and the concentrated the product, the faster the reaction. However, the more concentrated the product, the more damage it can cause.

OTC may contain bleaching agents but not as high in concentration as those used by professionals. The professional whitening products are mixed with potassium nitrate, an ingredient that reduces the effect of whitening gel on the teeth and gum to prevent irritation.

Generally, OTC products have a lower concentration of peroxide than those recommended by the dentist. The OTC product will also yield the required result after a long time.

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