Hi, it’s Dr Wendy here from Oralux Dental. There are a lot of whitening products that range from toothpaste to professional bleaching gel from the dentist. Often I get a patient who is confused about what is the right option for them and also how much it’ll cost them. So I thought I’d make a video to share some insider information.

Whitening is currently a very popular cosmetic procedure where people can achieve a brighter smile. There are many whitening products, but not all are equally effective. Some even lead to disappointment or inconsistent results.

Whitening toothpaste is often the cheapest option available. Its ingredients may vary to some degree, but all of them contain a lot of abrasives in it. Long-term wise, it can be harmful to the health of your teeth as the abrasive substance can wear away your tooth structure, and overtime, your teeth can become sensitive to hot or cold.

The next step up would be a whitening tray from your local chemist or supermarket. They are still on the cheaper end of the spectrum, varying from 20-50 dollars. But the whitening trays are more like those one-size-fits-all t-shirts in the supermarket. So it might not fit on your teeth very well. This can be problematic as it leads to bleaching material leaking from the tray onto your gum, which can give you a nasty burn if incorrectly used. Australian law regulates that over the counter whitening medication must not contain more than 6% hydrogen peroxide due to safety issues. Hence you may need to use them for a long while before you see any significant result.

On the other hand, a more effective and safer option is to get a take-home whitening tray from the dentist. Here at Oralux Dental, we take a mould of your teeth and then make a customised whitening tray from it. So the tray will fit your teeth perfectly and prevent any leakage of material. This option usually costs around four to five hundred dollars, with the medication provided lasts for a year.

The next option would be in-office whitening, which can range from six to nine hundred dollars. So what happens is that in the office chair we use a bleaching material which is activated by a special light. The medication contains more than 35% of active ingredient-hydrogen peroxide and is only administered by professionals with all the proper protection of your soft tissue. It is usually the more cost-effective option as you can achieve the best result in 1 hr. And often the safe procedure as well since you are being monitored by a qualified professional at all times.

The other factor you should consider that can impact the cost of your whitening treatment is how discolour are your teeth and what results you want. If your teeth are very yellow, it may require longer time and more costly treatment to achieve the results that you desire.

So I hope this video has shed some light for you in terms of tooth whitening options and costs. If you’re thinking about tooth whitening and aren’t sure which option is the best for you, you can always book a consultation simply by calling 02 8065 1702, message us via sms or on social media, or fill in the enquiry form on our website. See you in the next video.

Services we mentioned:

Related Articles