Whitening Your Teeth: What You Need to Know

Woman: After years of drinking coffee, I've noticed that my teeth are yellower. I know that coffee has stained them and I would like to whiten them.

Man: I'm job hunting and want to look my best. I think whitening my teeth will help.

Narrator: Plastic surgery is becoming increasingly popular as baby boomers seek to turn back the clock and regain their youthful appearances. The trend doesn't stop at the mouth. The demand for teeth whitening has skyrocketed, helped along with movie stars and models who flash high-wattage, pure-white smiles. And even though teeth aren't naturally pure white, that's what many people want.

Tooth whitening is the No. 1 dental procedure requested by patients between the ages of 40 and 60, according to the American Dental Association. More than half of patients this age want their teeth whitened.

Dara Rosenberg, D.D.S., M.S., M.P.H., Director Dental Department, St. Barnabas Hospital, New York City: Well, some people whiten their teeth because they are naturally yellowish or a few shades off white. But many people seek out whitening because over time they have noticed that their teeth have gotten darker.

There are many foods that stain teeth — for example, coffees, teas and even tomato sauce. In addition, there are a lot of people who are smoking, and that really does discolor teeth. And finally, as we age the color of the tooth also becomes slightly darker.

Narrator: Once, your only choice to whiten your teeth was to get it done at the dentist's office. As the procedure has become more popular, the number of over-the-counter whitening products has exploded. Is one way better than the other? What about safety and cost?

Second woman: I don't want to spend a lot of money to get my teeth whitened, so I was thinking of doing it myself.

Narrator: If you decide to do it yourself, you have a lot of choices. Whitening toothpastes remove surface stains and polish the teeth, but they don't contain a bleaching agent. Strips, gels and tray-based products can lighten your teeth more because they contain a bleaching agent. Doing it yourself is less expensive than having your dentist whiten your teeth. Over-the-counter products cost from $3 for toothpastes to as much as $150 for tray-based products.

Dr. Rosenberg: Over-the-counter products can work, but they take a lot longer than in-office whitening. They can take weeks for the teeth to actually become significantly lighter. The main risks to the over-the-counter tray products are that there's uneven results and gum sensitivity sometimes. That's because the trays that are provided are not exactly fit to your teeth, so that the gel that you put in the trays won't get on all of the teeth or some of the excess gel may actually run over the trays, in which case you're going to have some sensitivity in your gums.

The good news is that these problems are only temporary and that if used correctly the whitening has been shown not to damage teeth, fillings or crowns.

Narrator: Some people aren't good candidates for whitening procedures, so it's a good idea to see your dentist first even if you plan to use an over-the-counter product. Your teeth and gums should be healthy before you start the whitening process. Your dentist can examine your teeth and clean them. Whitening is not generally recommended for children under 18 or for people who have cavities. Also, bleaching won't work on some stains, such as those caused by the antibiotic tetracycline. Yellowish-orangeish stains can be whitened more easily than gray stains.

First woman: I would like my dentist to whiten my teeth, but I've heard there are different methods and I don't know which one to choose.

Dr. Rosenberg: Your dentist can apply a whitening solution to your teeth in the office, or create custom trays by taking an impression of your mouth and then giving you a whitening solution to use in the tray to apply at home.

Narrator: In the more traditional methods, your dentist will paint the whitening agent onto your teeth. It will sit on your teeth for a period of time. Your dentist may use a special light to help the whitening agent work better and faster.

A newer version of this process uses a laser light to make the whitening agent work faster. The laser procedure can whiten teeth more dramatically and takes less time than the traditional method. Both the light and the laser can bleach teeth in about an hour. Methods applied in the office by your dentist can cost between $600 and $1,200.

A less expensive option — between $300 and $500 — is for your dentist to create custom trays that fit your teeth exactly. At home, you put the whitening agent in the trays and apply them to your teeth a couple of times a day or overnight for about two weeks.

Second man: I was thinking about whitening my teeth, but I was wondering, how long does it last?

Dr. Rosenberg: Keep in mind, whitening is not permanent. Any method used can last between one and three years, depending upon how many times you brush, what types of foods and beverages you eat, and whether you smoke or not. If you decide that you want to go and have your teeth whitened by your dentist quickly, then you can extend the life of that bleaching treatment by using over-the-counter whitening products.

Third woman: I had my teeth whitened by my dentist and I feel like a new person. I'm not embarrassed by yellow teeth anymore. I feel more confident, and I smile a lot more now. (She smiles.)