Emergency Dentist: Knowing When to Call

« Back to Home

Three Important Reasons to Visit Your Dentist for Whitening Treatments Instead of Buying Online

Posted on

It used to be that you could only buy tooth whitening products from your dentist or at a pharmacy; the choice was either have laser whitening at the dentist, ask them to provide you with at-home treatment methods, or pick up a more basic whitening product from your local pharmacy.

It's always better to see your dentist instead of going to pharmacy, but now there's a whole new option that more and more people are being drawn towards: buying whitening products over the Internet. It might be a convenient option, but buying online is still is a risky move, and here are just three reasons why you should visit your dentist instead.

1. You Might Choose a Poor Supplier

There are plenty of good, trustworthy suppliers on the world wide web, but there are also a smattering of bad apples. Unfortunately, it's often hard to verify whether the online supplier you're using is credible; even if their website looks legitimate, such things may be faked. Buying online is mainly risky because you can't be as sure of either the source or of their product.

It could be that you are given products that contain illegal substances, so on top of whitening your teeth, they may also damage them. Even if the seller means well, it's possible that people without proper training as dentists or dental nurses could store the products poorly or keep them past their sell-by date.

2. You Can't Get Advice 

When you visit a dentist to enquire about tooth whitening, they will be able to take a look at your teeth, analyse the issues that have caused stains or marks, and then let you know the right treatment method. It could be that simple whitening strips are all you need. On the other hand, you might respond well to at-home gel treatments or even an in-office laser treatment. They might also find that discoloration has been caused by a certain underlying issue, so a visit to ask about tooth whitening could end up being an enormous boon to your dental health.

3. They Won't Be as Effective

Even finding a legitimate online seller brings its fair share of problems. Most importantly, tooth whitening products that are purchased online are unlikely to be very strong. Only dentists are allowed to prescribe treatments that are strong enough to correct major stains since they need to see your teeth and understand whether they can take the appropriate concentration of whitening agent. Even if the whitening products you find are legitimate and you know exactly how to use them, they are unlikely to do a very thorough job of whitening your teeth.


Share