Cost of Teeth Whitening – Considering All The Options
In the past decade, teeth whitening cost and effectiveness have made massive steps for a number of different treatment types. The industry is now at the point where almost anyone can effectively whiten their teeth, regardless of how much they can spend. This article will compare the teeth whitening cost of every major whitening option. However, we will only be considering teeth whitening cost. Although important in their own right, this article will not consider other factors such as time, convenience, teeth and gum discomfort/pain, and whitener effectiveness. Hopefully the reader will leave with a good general estimate of how much they will need to spend for a given whitening method so that they can choose accordingly.
Can a perfect smile even have a price tag?
This article will cover the teeth whitening cost of the following methods: in-office bleaching, at-home bleaching gel and trays, bleaching strips, tooth paste, and mouthwash.
Teeth Whitening Cost of In-Office Bleaching
Summary: Ranges widely based on treatment and dentist, from ~ $300 to $1000+
An in-office treatment is performed by a bleaching specialist or dentist. The teeth whitening cost for an in-office bleaching treatment can vary widely based on dentist, geographic location, and specific treatment. Zoom! is one of the most popular in-office bleaching treatments and the full treatment that takes a little under 1-hour costs an average of $315. As Zoom is powerful but fast procedure, this should be taken as the mid-low range for in-office bleaching estimates. Learn more about Zoom whitening cost.
Cost of Bleaching Gel
Summary: Sold through your dentist: ~ $300 to $600+ for trays and gel
Ordering online: ~ $40 to $90 for gel and trays (subsequent treatments will reuse trays)
Bleaching gel is either carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide based but there is no major difference in cost. The teeth whitening cost for bleaching gel includes bleaching trays and gel for the full (usually 2 week) treatment. Keep in mind that most gels do not come with their own trays and those that do are often low quality which will reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. Custom trays from your dentist can cost hundreds of dollars but other smart options include ordering your own custom fitted tray kit based on your teeth impressions, or fabricating your own tray with an at-home tray kit. Likewise, a dentist will probably charge another few hundred dollars for the gel which makes the teeth whitening cost for a gel treatment very costly when doing it through your dentist.
On the other hand, you can buy some of the exact same products online for significantly less (probably around 80-90% less). Online the gel will generally range from $20 to $40 and the a good set of trays from $20 to $50. This puts the teeth whitening cost for the first gel treatment in the range of $40 to $90 and any subsequent treatments can reuse the same bleaching trays. We still recommend you ask your dentist about gel whitening but if you want to keep your teeth whitening cost down, just don’t buy it directly from them.
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Cost of Whitening Strips
Summary: Ordering online: ~ $20 to $40 for a large pack of strips
The teeth whitening cost of strips is generally less than gel but the whitening (and also the potential side effects) are also quite a bit less powerful. A large pack of strips should last you several months, potentially longer, based on how often you use them.
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Cost Through Toothpaste or Mouthwash/Rinse
In general, although toothpaste and rinse are the weakest whitening solutions, their teeth whitening cost is also lowest. The cost of whitening toothpaste or mouthwash is usually just slightly higher than normal toothpaste or rinse. We can’t give a numerical estimate for the teeth whitening cost because of the range of different sizes for toothpastes mouthwashes.
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Also, many of the whitening toothpastes are also high-end toothpastes which cost more than the cheap brands even for their non-whitening products. Another point about toothpaste is that it is only as effective as the toothbrush. In some cases you may need a good toothbrush before whitening toothpaste becomes effective.