Journal Teeth whitening 4 min read
Take-home or in-chair whitening? How to choose
Both use the same kind of gel and both work. The difference is time, sensitivity and how long the result lasts. Here is how we help people decide.
By the Northlight team ·
Whitening is the treatment we are asked about most, and the question is usually the same: home or chair? Both work. They suit different people.
Take-home whitening
We scan your teeth and have thin trays made to fit them. You wear the trays with a small amount of gel for about an hour a day, for two weeks.
- Cost: £249, including trays, gel and a review visit.
- Sensitivity: lower, because the gel is gentler and you can pause for a day if you need to.
- Result: usually the most even, and it tends to last longest.
In-chair whitening
One appointment of about ninety minutes, with a stronger gel applied and refreshed by the dentist.
- Cost: £395.
- Sensitivity: more likely for a day or two afterwards.
- Result: fast. Useful when you have a date in the diary.
What neither can do
Whitening only lightens natural enamel. Crowns, veneers and fillings stay the colour they are. If you have a filling on a front tooth, it may look darker afterwards, and we will tell you that at the consult.
How to keep the shade
Keep your trays. Coffee, tea and red wine will slowly bring the colour back, and a £45 tube of top-up gel once a year is usually all it takes to hold the new shade.
The consult is free. Book a whitening consult and we will take a shade reading before you decide anything.
