Why are some professional teeth whitening systems followed up with an at-home whitener as well?
The protocol for some professional teeth whitening systems includes both in-office and at-home whitening treatments. This is because: 1) Some of the immediate tooth color change achieved by professional teeth whitening treatments may actually be due to a dehydration effect. 2) It can often take between two and six in-office bleaching treatments before a patient is satisfied with the degree of whitening that has been achieved. The dentist / whitening product manufacturer is relying on the in-office bleaching treatment to provide a quick and noticeable color change. The at-home teeth whitening treatments the patient performs on their own helps to compensate for the short-term color relapse due to the loss of the tooth dehydration effect. Additionally, the at-home treatments take the total whitening effect possible for that person from using peroxide-based whiteners to its endpoint. Professional teeth whitening treatments are characteristically performed on those teeth towards the front o
