Whiten Teeth at Home Vs. Teeth Whitening at the Dentist?

Over the past decade or so, I've experimented and experienced a plethora of dental whitening products, both in-house at the dentist, over the counter from stores, and from internet purchases. Because of this, I feel a little qualified to speak about whitening products, and what works best. Surely, this will not apply to all, so please bear that in mind as you read the below...

In-house dental treatments -- They work, but are incredibly expensive and not free of gimmickry and the scent of snake oil. For example, Dentists still use and promote the use of 'blue light' technology, even though 'non biased' research strongly suggests they makes no difference whatsoever to the whitening process. Please be aware, the positive spin research papers available on the internet were ALL FUNDED BY THE COMPANY SELLING THE BLUE LIGHT. Having a bit of experience in how companies skewer medical research (read: Bad Science by Dr. Ben Goldacre), I can spot the flaws in the science papers a million miles away. All were written with the intention and technique of ensuring a positive outcome to the research paper in favour of the blue light technology. This would be shocking, but in actual fact it's standard behaviour in the industry of 'medical research'. There is too much money to be made to allow the chips to fall without a little nudging here and there. That's the bottom line on in-house dental whitening. Expensive, a little gimmicky, but it works well. And, of course, you get the added bonus of being able to blame your dentist if it goes horribly wrong, which is reassuring to some :0) Just remember that dentists make a ton of cash from in-house whitening, in many cases, in my experience, it can be their main source of profit. They therefore have a strong bias on this subject, and regrettably are perhaps not the best people to offer you the patient clarity on this issue.

Over the counter teeth whitening...

Forget about it. There is no over the counter product worth an endorsement. Sure, some offer mild results, such as the dental strips, but on the whole, it's more snake oil, more dodgy 'medical research', and more money out of your pocket for flashy, immediately binned, packaging.

Internet products...

Well now, we get to the meat of the issue. I will come right out and say that my best experience with teeth whitening has been via online purchases. They have the ability to offer stronger concentrations than any over the counter product I am familiar with, and at a fraction of the cost your dentist charges for in-house whitening. And, after a little trial and error, it is completely reasonable to expect you'll find a product that works as well as, if not better, than in-house dental whitening. I have, but I will stop short of endorsing the product I personally use by name. If you would like to know what product I use, you may contact me personally and I will share that information with you. The downside of 'internet, at home' products is really down to how obedient you of the inclusive instructions. Decide not to heed them at your own peril, is what I'll say. I once bleached a large part of gum white by accident, and for a short time feared it might be actually be permanent -- SO PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Where possible, have/obtain a custom mould of your mouth made professionally, and avoid the self-made gum shields you mould at home. As an Invisalign patient I already have them, but if you don't have invisalign you can get these made from any number of places, and may of the internet products offer this as a service - if you send them a dental mould of your mouth.