It has to be said that the teeth whitening process is in general are not appropriate for everybody. It is always worth getting professional advice before starting any course of treatment. Your dentist can clarify for you which of the many options you are able to choose from. Some of them may be of no practical benefit in your particular situation.

The dilemma that people face is the perceived added safety of having a procedure carried out professionally by a dentist, against the possible major cost saving of a home treatment. Will the home teeth whitening product be safe and will it be as effective to use? Is it easy to follow the instructions and if you do, are there any possible side effects? What are the pros and cons?

In order to provide a safe product for home use, especially in over the counter products, the teeth gel supplied is of a lower concentration than you would get in a professional treatment. So how good are the results, how quick and how long lasting? But there are also conspiracy theorist who question this.

Do some manufacturers use higher concentrations of the bleaching agent than they state, to get results? It is even implieded that abrasive substances are added that could harm the tooth enamel. I think that these theories can be discounted. As long as buy properly licensed products you should have no problems. The penalties for such practices, from major fines and lawsuits, to withdrawal of the product license, would be too costly to contemplate.

Quality manufactures do thorough tests before releasing their products to the public. With a quick search on their websites, you can read the results of these trials, and you can even follow the links back to the original research documents. It would similarly hit their bottom line and their reputation, to put forward claims that they cannot substantiate.

The usual method is to wear a tray over your teeth containing the gel, for half an hour to an hour. Maybe this is not uncomfortable, but it is a bind and you probably won't do it for much longer than the recommended time to any great extent. some of these gels are for overnight use and the makers claim that their gel remains active longer than their competitors products.

If you wear the device for longer than recommended, the gel will probably have become inactive. I think that we can safely assume that these products can be regarded as safe. The other question is, can you get the same benefits that you would from a couple of visits to the dentist.

Here again, it is very unlikely that companies would make claims that they cannot substantiate. After all, if the product didn't work, there are millions of users who would be shouting about it. So how good are the results, how quick and how long do they last?After two dental visits, your treatment is complete and your teeth sparkling. And with the necessary aftercare, it could you 15 years, but it could be not more than 5.

Some of the home teeth gel treatments claim a noticeable difference after only one hour and that with repeated treatments that you can reach the same levels on the dental comparison charts that you would get from professional whitening. And they could be just as long lasting. So, are they a cost effective alternative?

At the start, I said that it is always worth getting a professional opinion, but a home teeth whitening is a viable option. And remember, you are not limited to over the counter products, your dentist can supply you with a customised solution.