At-Home vs. In-Office Teeth Whitening

Do you avoid showing teeth when smiling to hide discoloration? You might benefit from having your teeth professionally whitened. At Niles Dental, our dentists in Woodbridge, VA, offer different solutions for a brighter smile — in-office and at-home whitening. Which should you choose? We’ll go over both options in more detail to help you with this decision!

How In-Office Teeth Whitening Works

This option involves having our dental team apply whitening agents, such as carbamide, to the front surfaces of stained teeth. The agents used are stronger than those you’ll find in over-the-counter products, making them suitable for tougher tooth discoloration.

How At-Home Whitening Works

With this option, you’ll take home kits containing gel or strips that you apply to your teeth. You get to do this in the comfort of your home whenever it’s convenient for you. These kits typically use the same whitening agents as our in-office whitening — but they’re not as powerful.

What to Expect with In-Office Whitening

Each visit usually takes an hour or more, depending on how many teeth we’re treating and how severe the stains are. Note that you might need multiple visits to get the best results.

What to Expect with At-Home Whitening

These kits contain whitening agents at lower concentrations than in-office agents. This option may take longer to get your desired results, especially if you have a lot of discoloration or multiple teeth with stains.

Visit Our Dentists for a Brighter Smile!

Have you decided to seek help for stained teeth? At Niles Dental, our dental team provides the solutions you need. We offer in-office and at-home teeth whitening in Woodbridge, VA so you can choose the option that’s most convenient for you!