Asking your dentist about which teeth whitening products might be best for your situation and your use is a great idea. Your dentist is your dental advisor and it's their obligation to help guide you through the maze of dental products that are available, both whitening and otherwise, both professionally dispensed and over-the-counter.
Your dentist will be well versed in the different types of whiteners and systems that are used in dentistry. Both from their reading and experiences with other patients they should be able to provide you with information about the pitfalls of some products and techniques and the benefits of others.
Besides specific ideas about teeth whitening methods and bleaching agents, your dentist may also have very specific opinions about product brands. Some companies make both over-the-counter and dentist dispensed teeth whitening products, so your dentist may have first-hand knowledge about the whitening products that these companies make. Or to the contrary, your dentist may have very specific ideas about sources and brands to stay away from.
Not all over-the-counter teeth whitening products meet the same standards for quality. Factors related to peroxide type and concentration, the pH of the whitener, and product shelf life are of paramount importance, especially when you take into consideration the unsupervised nature of over-the-counter product use.
Some of the brand names found on the over-the-counter teeth whitening products that you see will be familiar to you. They will be manufacturers that have a long history of making quality oral care products, both whitening and otherwise.
Some companies (typically the market leaders) budget money so they can conduct research into the safety and effectiveness of their whitening products. While you may not have access to a dental library or the expertise interpret what has been written, companies often provide access to abstracts of this literature on their websites (usually it's in the "for dental professionals" portion of their website).
The existence of published research implies a seriousness with which a company pursues its mission of producing quality products. It may surprise you but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not govern teeth whitening products. Therefore manufacturers may not have performed the extensive testing you might anticipate before they bring a teeth whitening product to market. Manufacturing leaders will conduct research and share their findings so dentists and consumers alike can feel comfortable with and knowledgeable about their product.
Here are links to some teeth whitening product manufacturers that do post research references on their websites.
Rembrandt is a registered trademark of the Denmat Corporation.
- Denmat.com (Rembrandt ® brand name products) ( Tray-based teeth whitening products. )
- Crest.com ( Whitening strips products: Crest Whitestrips ®. ) ( Paint-on teeth whitening products: Crest Night Effects ®. )
- Colgate.com ( Paint-on teeth whitening products: Colgate Simply White ® / Colgate Simply White Night ®. )
Crest Whitestrips and Crest Night Effects are registered trademarks of the Proctor & Gamble Company.
Colgate Simply White and Colgate Simply White Night are registered trademarks of the Colgate-Palmolive Company.