A whiter smile is a better and more beautiful smile. When you flash a smile that is white, you will feel more confident and that is why cosmetic dentistry prides on its ability to improve the smile of patients. Teeth whitening procedures have become common to some people. Some people go through it regularly, bi-annually or once a year. They do this because they want to preserve a quality of smile that is white and beautiful; and since teeth naturally discolor in time, the demand for teeth whitening options have increased.

There are basically two main types of teeth whitening procedures, the in-office or chair side procedure and take home whitening.

Take home whitening, as the name implies, is a whitening procedure that is done at home. Instead of lying on the dental chair for a few minutes to an hour, a patient can choose to do the whitening procedure at home, either with a whitening kit that was prescribed by and bought from the dentist or with a commercially sold product.

• Compared to an in-office whitening procedure, a take home procedure is always more affordable. This is especially true for commercially sold products because they are mass produced and are made from weaker or less powerful ingredients.
• The components are also different with a take home and an in-office whitening kit. In-office kits are exclusively designed to be taken under the supervision of the dentist because the ingredients are made of stronger and more powerful acids and mishandling can be very dangerous to the untrained operator and the patient. A take home whitening kit will not pose this problem. It was designed to be used by any patient and every kit comes with very simple instructions to follow.
• One good thing about take home whitening kits is that the patient has full control over the treatment. Unlike an in-office treatment where the results are instantaneously achieved, the patient will have to administer the whitening procedure every day for a few weeks, until he finishes the content of the whitening agent or until he is satisfied with the results.
• A good use for take home whitening kits would be to maintain a superbly done in-office treatment. To better enjoy the results and to prolong the effect of the whitening procedure, a patient can choose to get a take home kit so that he can keep the whiteness and brightness of his smile.