Having a bright smile is a desire and sometimes even a real need for many of us.

Having white teeth has always been synonymous with good health and the ability to take care of oneself. In the United States, an ultra-bright smile is even considered proof of your social success.

Without going to such extremes, we can consider that the smile remains a revelation of your well-being but is also a formidable means of communicating with your friends, family, colleagues or co-workers.

But it turns out that it is difficult to fight against the effects of the passing of time. It’s only natural that your teeth will become dull. If you are also a habitual smoker, drink coffee or tea, or enjoy eating spicy foods, you are more likely to have increasingly yellow teeth despite good oral hygiene.

The best way to remedy this situation is to decide to have teeth whitening.

We will present you with the main options available to you and answer the question: “How can I get my teeth whitened?

1. Tooth whitening at the dentist

Your dental care specialist can offer you several types of tooth whitening treatments.

Here is a list of the main treatments offered by a dental surgeon:

  • tooth whitening with trays.
  • icon® treatment.
  • internal bleaching.
  • dental veneers.

Whichever solution you choose, your teeth must first be in perfect condition in the sense that no decay or infection is detected.

Even before a tooth whitening treatment, your dentist will do a check-up of your teeth and a scaling to remove any existing film from your teeth.

Having taken these introductory elements into account, let us detail the main techniques used by the dentist:

1.1 Tooth whitening with trays

Your dentist will take impressions of your teeth in order to make a custom-made tray. This tray will be especially useful after your treatment session in the office to continue the treatment at home.

The dentist will then use a dental retractor to gain access to your teeth and gums. The dentist will apply protection to your gums, mucous membranes and skin.

Then he will proceed to the treatment by depositing tooth whitening gel on your teeth. The whitening agent in this gel is hydrogen peroxide, which can also be found in the form of carbamide peroxide.

In the European Union, the dosage of gels is regulated. Dentists are allowed to use gels with 6% hydrogen peroxide, while beauty salons and private individuals are allowed to use gels with 0.1% peroxide.

To activate the effects of the gel, he will bring a teeth whitening lamp close to your mouth. This lamp will project a cold blue light that will accelerate the whitening process. If he does not use the blue LED lamp, he can also use a laser lamp.

In any case, after a one-hour session, the results will be immediate and convincing.

At the end of this session, the dentist will probably ask you to continue the treatment in “home bleaching”, i.e. at home. The custom-made mouthpiece will then be very useful. It will allow you to apply the bleaching gel yourself. You will follow your dentist’s recommendations regarding the duration of the treatment until you achieve the desired whitening result.

1.2 The Icon® treatment

Basically, this treatment is used to stop incipient cavities. However, it also turns out to be effective in masking white spots on the teeth that are caused by what is known as fluorosis. Fluorosis is a defect in the mineralisation of the enamel.

In concrete terms, the Icon® treatment is a technique based on infiltration. Initially, hydrochloric acid is used to slightly abrade your teeth. Don’t panic, dentists are used to this type of treatment!

Then your specialist infiltrates the stain to be removed with enamel-like resin. It takes very little time for the resin to penetrate the porous enamel and be sealed, about 3 minutes. As with gel and tray whitening, a special lamp is placed on the tooth to receive the resin. In less than a minute, the resin hardens. The treatment is then complete.

The Icon® treatment is not really considered a tooth whitening technique but rather a method of removing specific stains.

1.3 Internal bleaching

This method of tooth whitening does not involve the whole of your teeth, unlike gel and tray tooth whitening.

It is used on teeth that are devitalized or depopulated. These teeth change colour very quickly and become greyish. Dentists can provide you with a solution for this unattractive appearance.

The objective here is to access the inside of your tooth. More precisely, it is necessary to reach the pulp chamber. To do this, the dentist has to make a hole in your tooth. The dentist then places a hydrogen peroxide-based tooth whitening product in this cavity. You keep this product inside your tooth for 2 to 3 weeks. At the end of this time, the dentist will absorb the whitening product. This protocol is repeated two or three times until the desired whiteness of your tooth is achieved.

1.4 Dental veneers

The last tooth whitening technique performed at the dentist’s is the application of dental veneers.

In the United States, this technique is very popular with celebrities as well as with ordinary people.

It is important to know that the application of veneers is an irreversible process. But the incredible white smile is the key!

A dental veneer is a thin ceramic coating bonded to the outside of the teeth. There are also composite resin veneers, which last half as long as ceramic veneers.

Veneers are applied in several stages. It starts with the taking of impressions in order to create custom-made veneers. The dentist will then roughen the teeth to remove a very thin layer of enamel. Then the veneers are bonded to the tooth enamel.

The installation of dental veneers is generally painless because your practitioner often uses a local anaesthetic. With ceramic veneers, you can expect them to last up to 10 years before you need to change them. With resin veneers, you can expect them to last 5 years.

Now let’s talk about the budget. Tooth whitening at a dentist’s is generally very expensive, especially as it is not covered by Social Security or your insurance companies (or very rarely).

On average, you should expect to pay 800 euros for a dental whitening treatment with gel and trays on your entire teeth. For an internal whitening of one tooth, you will spend €500. For an Icon treatment, dentists generally calculate the cost per stain to be removed, with a minimum of €300. Finally, for the installation of dental veneers, prices vary between €700 and €1200 per tooth!

If you don’t want to spend that much money but still want your teeth to be white again, turn to beauty professionals and go to an institute.

2. Tooth whitening in a beauty salon

Tooth whitening in a beauty salon is an increasingly popular solution in France.

Cosmetic tooth whitening uses tooth whitening gels with 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. This low concentration of peroxide guarantees customers a safe treatment that is suitable for almost all types of teeth.

Going to an institute does not absolve you from having had a scaling in the 6 months prior to your treatment. Moreover, your teeth must also be healthy, without cavities.

The technique used by the institutes is that of the gutter with the application of gel. After cleaning your teeth, the gel is applied to the universal tray provided. Then a tooth whitening lamp will be used to activate the effects of the gel. The recommended protocol is to perform 3 sessions of 20 minutes each.

After one hour, the results will be visible. It should be noted that the results will differ from one client to another depending on the texture of their enamel. But it will be possible to repeat the treatment depending on the case to achieve the desired effect.

In terms of cost, the average for a one-hour treatment is €79 but you can find institutes that charge higher prices, exceeding €100. Often the reason given is the use of another technique, American teeth whitening, which uses gels with a higher dosage of around 6%. However, you should know that these gels are reserved for health professionals.

If you go into an institute and, on enquiry, find that the gels used have a very high concentration of peroxide (up to 40%), run away. Don’t play with your health, these products are dangerous, so don’t succumb to the temptation of an incredible whiteness for your teeth because it will damage your enamel irreparably!

The last option for whitening your teeth is to decide to carry out a tooth whitening treatment at home. Let’s explore the methods available.

3. Home tooth whitening

If you want to whiten your teeth at home, you have plenty of options. However, some products are more of a maintenance product after whitening.

Here are the different types of solutions that can bring you satisfaction.

3.1 Whitening toothpaste

Let’s be clear: whitening toothpastes have nothing to do with teeth whitening. Their purpose is to clean the teeth, polish them, facilitate the removal of plaque from the teeth and reduce stains. Therefore, whitening toothpastes allow you to make your teeth shine again.

They are very useful for maintaining the effects of tooth whitening.

You can find many whitening toothpastes in supermarkets, pharmacies and drugstores. In their composition, they have abrasive elements such as silica or calcium carbonate but also polishing elements such as perlite.

WHITECARE has chosen to offer cleaning and whitening foams that are not in the form of a paste but in the form of sprays to be sprayed on your toothbrush.

It’s up to you to choose what suits you best to have the longest lasting whitening effect.

3.2 Natural remedies

There are many grandmother’s remedies for brightening teeth.

Here is a non-exhaustive list that we can draw up:

  • lemon juice: Lemon is a citrus fruit that has a natural abrasive power. Its acidity allows an action on the tart and on the reduction of the dental plaque. It is not recommended to use it daily. Consider using lemon no more than twice a week.
  • baking soda: this is another natural and ecological product that is used in many circumstances (to absorb odours, to wash, as a household cleaner and also as “toothpaste” to whiten teeth). For your oral hygiene, it has two advantages: it cleans the teeth and also helps to fight against bad breath. In addition to cleaning your teeth, it also has an abrasive power that helps to keep your teeth white. Same advice as for lemon: use in moderation.
  • charcoal for teeth: This product has similar properties to bicarbonate of soda. Activated charcoal is naturally very absorbent so it helps to fight tartness but also to eliminate mouth ulcers and gum inflammation. Activated charcoal powder will also give you fresh breath.

We could also mention green clay, cider vinegar, peppermint or cinnamon essential oils to help restore or maintain white teeth.

All these natural remedies should be used in moderation to avoid damaging your enamel.

3.3 Whitening strips

Tooth whitening strips very often contain bleaching agents such as hydrogen or carbamide peroxide. They may also contain natural agents such as activated charcoal. When applied daily for several days in a row, they can help you achieve whiter teeth. The main risk with whitening strips is that you may get uneven results as it is not always easy to stick the strips evenly on all teeth.

3.4 Whitening pens

Whitening pens are generally designed on the same principle as whitening strips. Used like a brush, you apply a layer of whitening agent directly to your teeth. This is mainly for the front teeth, which are visible to everyone. They give your teeth a boost and are very popular when you are away from home. In fact, nothing could be easier than slipping them into your handbag or glove compartment.

3.5 Tooth whitening kits

Lastly, let’s talk about at-home teeth whitening kits, which are the most advanced version of do-it-yourself whitening. There are countless boxes sold on the internet or in pharmacies that allow you to whiten your teeth.

A few tips to consider before buying a bleaching kit:

  • be sure to check the composition of the gels, which should not exceed 0.1% hydrogen peroxide;
  • think about repeating the treatments to make a real whitening “cure”. Therefore, a kit that only includes a 10 ml syringe of gel is too small to guarantee results. Instead, opt for complete kits such as those from WHITECARE, which offers three 10 ml syringes of gel in each of its models;
  • for the gel to be effective, opt for kits that are equipped with a mini LED light;
  • the little plus: sometimes your teeth can be sensitive after the treatment. If your kit includes a remineralising gel that will strengthen your enamel and eliminate this sensitivity, you will be both reassured and certain of achieving a “comfortable” treatment.

For a complete teeth whitening kit, you should expect to pay about €40.

The main methods for permanent or partial whitening of your teeth have just been presented to you. Depending on your wishes and your budget, you can choose the one that suits you best.