Teeth Bleaching Vs Laser for Teeth Whitening?

Both teeth whitening with bleaching trays and Zoom whitening give similar results over a long period of time.  The main difference is how long it takes.  Zoom whitening can give you fantastic results in just 1-2 hours.  Bleaching trays require you to be very compliant in wearing the trays if you want to get good results.  You would need to wear the trays for 1-2 hours every night for 10-14 days to achieve the same result as two hours of Zoom.  Huge time saver by doing the Zoom whitening!  

Laser is always much more expensive than trays. As your teeth will eventually darken again over time, and you will have to repeat the process, I would suggest doing the standard tray treatment as it works for most people. This way it will not be an issue to repeat it as regularly as you need to. If the cost of laser is not a problem - then you can go right ahead and use it from the start as it is slightly quicker to get to the end result. Good luck whichever way you decide to go- Thomas Dey, BDS, MSc

Laser is by far the best teeth whitening option out there. Patients leave with no post-op sensitivity. I have used other whitening system and none produce the results, comparatively of the laser. The average tooth shade is 6 to 7 times its original shade. It takes 30 minutes. I have not had 1 patient complain about the laser whitening results once we have treated them. Call your dentist for a consultation, you will be glad that you did.

At this time research studies do not show that any one technique is better than any other when you look at the results greater than 6 weeks after the treatment is finished. I have used laser whitening and I currently use the Zoom whitening in my office but I tell every patient that they can get the same result from using a take home whitening in trays that they do themselves for 2 weeks.
The difference is time. The Zoom and laser treatments can be done in one appointment in a dental office while the take home does take about 2 weeks to work. We charge less for the take home as my staff spends less time working with a patient that selects this treatment but often patients prefer the Zoom because they want to get results quick or because they can not deal with doing the whitening themselves at home.

The only problem I see with Laser bleaching is that the teeth can become over heated during the procedure and can lead to nerve damage if not done properly. I think Zoom is safer because there is NO heat involved and the light helps activate the gel. Trays will do the same thing over time, it's just that the Zoom reduces the amount of time that you would wear the trays.