If you desire a more appealing and shiny smile, teeth whitening can sort it out! It brightens your smile, makes you stand out, and helps draw attention while you talk during conferences, dates, or in everyday life. Now you might wonder, how much does it cost to have such great benefits through teeth whitening?
On average, dental teeth whitening costs anywhere between $500 to $1,010. And many factors contribute to this price range. Its level of professionalism, the type of teeth whitening procedure, and your geographical location play significant roles in finalizing your teeth whitening expenses.
The rest of this article will discuss the different procedures for teeth whitening and how much they individually cost. I’ll also go over some serious reasons why teeth whitening is crucial to some and share a comprehensive table to note each procedure and its expenses. Let us begin!
Teeth Whitening Procedures
There are many different teeth whitening procedures that you can do in an office or by yourself at home. The type of procedure you choose will determine how much it costs. Check out this table of both in-office and at-home treatments and their average costs:
| Treatment | Cost | Time | Procedure Frequency | Sensitivity |
| Hydrogen peroxide treatment | $500 | 30 minutes | As prescribed | Moderate to high sensitivity |
| Laser whitening | $1,500 | 30 – 90 minutes | 6 months to 1 year | High sensitivity |
| Deep bleaching | $1,200 to $3,500 | 40 minutes | 2 – 3 years | Moderate sensitivity |
| Dental veneers | $250 – $2000 per tooth | 2 – 3 hours (3 weeks for complete procedure) | 10 – 15 years | Minor sensitivity |
| Whitening strips | $10 – $50 per pack | Around 30 minutes daily for a week | Daily for 2 weeks | Moderate sensitivity |
| Toothpaste | $10 per tube | 30 seconds to 1 minute | Twice daily | Lowest sensitivity |
| Mouthwash | $15 – $20 | 30 – 60 seconds | Once daily | Moderate to high sensitivity |
| Whitening trays | $300 – $500 | 20 minutes | 4 days for 2 weeks | High sensitivity |
In-Office Dental Whitening Treatments
There are four popular in-office dental whitening treatments. I’ll go over these options in the following sections.
1. Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment
Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) treatment for teeth whitening is well-known for its highly effective results in making your teeth shine. It’s a known active ingredient in various other commercial teeth whitening products. Most dentists use oral care and dental treatments to remove stains and for various gum diseases.
Although you can make your own at-home hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening concoction, I recommend you seek professional advice beforehand. Mixing the incorrect amounts of H2O2 is highly dangerous and can cause you to regurgitate and feel extreme discomfort. It’s always a responsible choice to seek professional help when working with such risky chemicals.
Excessive H202 in a mix could also irritate your gums and make them more sensitive and uncomfortable. So, instead of making your DIY H2O2 at home, ask a dentist about the correct measurements and prescribed amounts to enjoy bright, white, and healthy teeth.
2. Laser Whitening
As a cosmetic dental procedure, laser teeth whitening shows one of the best results for a glimmering smile. The process uses bleaching gel and a laser beam that helps set the perfect whiteness on your teeth. It removes stains and gives you the ideal set of teeth while also being a professionally safe option for teeth whitening.
According to the National Library of Medicine review, whitening gels and UV light as the base result in equal whiteness. It’s a one-hour procedure that leads to successful results. And since your gums will feel sensitive during and after the process, the dentist will take the following precautionary steps:
- A plastic or rubber prop will be used to keep your mouth open.
- A gum barrier will be placed in the mouth. The dentist will also make you wear protective glasses against the laser rays.
- The dentist will apply bleaching gel to your teeth.
- The dentist will then angle the laser over your bleached teeth to heat the gel. Doing so will whiten your teeth.
- Afterward, you’ll be asked to rinse out the gel.
3. Deep Bleaching
Deep bleaching is a perfect solution for those suffering from Tetracycline stained teeth. These teeth are gray-ish instead of yellow and are more challenging to whiten. Moreover, deep bleaching lasts over two years, making it an almost-permanent solution to renewed white teeth!
Gray-ish stains on your teeth are a sign of enamel damage, reflecting lesser chances of your teeth becoming naturally white. Fortunately, deep bleaching works wonders by returning your teeth’s ability to absorb oxygen which removes the stain molecules for naturally whiter, brighter teeth.
This is a safe option for patients and causes mild to moderate gum sensitivity. Most experts suggest getting deep bleaching done when you’re as young as 14 years old. But, it also works for older patients and helps lighten up teeth by around 15-16 shades more.
4. Dental Veneers
When it comes to teeth whitening, a dental veneer is an excellent solution for stubbornly stained teeth. Some forms of teeth stains are not susceptible to various teeth whitening products due to intense discolorations. For these teeth, bleaching might not work its wonders to remove and whiten your stained smile.
Luckily, dental veneers are individually sculpted according to your teeth’s measurements, and they’re hard cosmetic coatings. These hard coating tooth caps cover up the front of your tooth and create a shell over your stained teeth. These shells look natural, cover up any dental imperfection you may have, and are a perfect solution to near-0-sensitivity teeth whitening.
At-Home Dental Whitening Treatments
Although in-office teeth whitening is usually recommended for the best results, there are several at-home whitening treatment options. I’ll go over four of the most common treatments in the following sections.
1. Whitening Strips
Teeth whitening strips are a standard at-home solution for stained and yellowed teeth. They’re popular in helping people enjoy their beautiful smiles at a pretty affordable rate! However, due to their cost-effectiveness, their actual whitening effect comes nowhere close to professional teeth whitening procedures.
These whitening strips usually have 5% hydrogen peroxide (H202), which helps to bleach out the stains over your teeth. You can wear them for a few minutes weekly to achieve the best effects. One packet has enough strips that can last you for that duration, but if your gums are sensitive to bleach, it might irritate your mouth.
2. Toothpaste
Whitening toothpaste is an ideal option if you want to whiten your teeth by removing the stains. It’s an excellent solution to stains caused by:
- Drinking coffee
- Smoking
- Drinking tea
- Drinking red wine
- Consuming dark fruits and their juices
- Aging
- Genetics
While it won’t magically change your teeth’s color, whitening toothpaste will help remove these surface stains to bring out your naturally white teeth. This toothpaste generally contains peroxide to whiten the teeth and abrasives to polish them. The end product is a new, glimmering smile.
Not to forget, this toothpaste also contains a blue Covarine, a pigment that helps to make the teeth appear whiter. Dentists ideally recommend brushing your teeth twice daily for best oral hygiene practices. Doing so will also help ensure that your teeth remain clean and white.
3. Mouthwash
Whitening mouthwashes have many benefits, such as:
- It helps form a barrier between your teeth and foods that cause the stain.
- It cleans out your teeth and gums against oral diseases.
- It protects the mouth overall.
While whitening mouthwashes don’t immediately result in pearly white teeth, it has an effect over time. Like toothpaste, mouthwashes clean the surface of your teeth to remove the stains. It cleans the mouth of bacteria, plaque, and germs, leaving a minty fresh scent and a clean mouth.
4. Whitening Trays
Whitening trays are over-the-counter solutions to giving your teeth a pearly makeover. You can also opt for custom-made whitening trays from your dentist that comes with pre-loaded ultra whitening products for your teeth. These custom-made ones come with a better and more comfortable fit, as your doctor will offer trays with the most accurate fit.
These trays are available within the $300 to $4500 price range, depending on your choice of trays. The custom ones are more expensive due to their near-perfect fitting, but both offer the best teeth whitening products. You can wear these daily for 20 minutes for up to two weeks.
Conclusion
It will most likely cost you around $1,010 to whiten your teeth for a glimmering result. There are many procedures to help whiten your teeth, and each of them have its sensitivity scale, as well as effectiveness. Consult your dentist about the different teeth whitening procedures to determine which solution best fits your oral needs.
