I don’t really feel comfortable with dentists but want to whiten my teeth. I saw an advertisement for a DIY kit call Luster Premium At-Home Teeth Whitening. It seems to have one of those light things that dentists use with teeth whitening. Do you know if it is safe? There are some good reviews, but these days it is hard to tell if they are legitimate.

Kristen

Dear Kristen,

Looking at this particular whitening kit, I am glad you wrote before purchasing it. It won’t harm you, but you won’t be getting the whitening you think you are. True teeth whitening kits use a special peroxide gel to get your pearly whites looking youthful and bright again. Many over-the-counter kits have a legitimate ingredient, such as Crest Whitestrips. Though, by law, they are significantly weaker than what you would get with a dentist’s office.

Unfortunately, this kit doesn’t use a legitimate whitening ingredient. The whitening effect they achieve appears to be from a pigment in the zinc oxide. The pigment will stick to your teeth and make them look whiter, but only temporarily. The pigment will only last a few days. My suspicion is many of these positive reviews were written before the pigment wore off.

The light is another issue altogether. It is too weak to be of any effect even if they had a valid teeth whitening ingredient. It appears to be there for psychological effect. So, you essentially have a company using a bogus lamp that is supposed to aid the whitening, with an ingredient that merely colors your teeth.

If you are absolutely committed to doing this without a dentist, I suggest you use Crest Whitestrips. At least their product will work. It will cost you more in the long run to get the same results you would with a dentist, but it will work.

Dealing with Dental Anxiety

You mentioned being uncomfortable with the dentist. I wanted to make sure you knew dental anxiety is a pretty common thing and there are dentists equipped to help. Most dentists who enjoy working with and helping anxious patients will have a way to locate them on the internet by doing a search for a sedation dentist.

There are medicines available that will relax you in the dental chair and give you an anxiety-free and pain-free experience. I’ve found this has changed the lives of patients who were afraid to go to the dentist. Now they are able to get regular dental care and get the work done they’ve been avoiding for years.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.