Modern life takes its toll on our tooth whitenig. Most people end up with yellow stained teeth, even if they do not smoke. Leave them too long and they could turn a brown colour or worse. Could a tooth whitening pen be the answer?

What Is A Tooth Whitening Pen?

A tooth whitening pen looks like a regular pen except that it does not contain ink, instead it contains an active ingredient known as hydrogen peroxide. Many people, especially women, will already be familiar with this chemical as it can be used to bleach the hair.

The tooth whitening pen features a small brush at the end. The idea is to apply the brush to your teeth each night for a period of two weeks. There is no need to worry about swallowing the active ingredient because it is very quick drying.

What Kind Of Result Can I Expect for Tooth Whitening?

The tooth whitening pen contains only a low concentration type of hydrogen peroxide. This is another reason why the risks are low. Therefore, you can expect to gain one or two shades of whiteness using this technique. If you are looking for better results then you should consider high concentration gels, either for use at home or by your dentist.

An advantage of using your dentist is two-fold. Firstly, they can protect your gums against the corrosive effects of the high concentration gel. Secondly, they can use a high intensity light to accelerate the bleaching process. It is not uncommon to gain three to give shades of whiteness in a single session. However, the treatment costs considerably more than the tooth whitening pen.

The Market

Most tooth whitening pens will set you back between $30 and $50 for between one and three pens.

You will probably never have heard of most brands as the companies producing them are generally only involved in the cosmetic side of the home dental care market. However, there are some big names involved now such as Oral B and Listerine.

Tooth Whitening Alternatives

The gel is the main alternative to the pen. Whitening Strips will give a similar result to the pen and some people report that they can get a greater effect if they combine the two methods. Whitening toothpaste is generally not considered to be very effective anymore. It was only the preferred method of whitening before the other methods became widely available. Whitening toothpaste often also contains salicylates which some doctors believe can be damaging to your hearing when used over a long period of time.