Article: These are the quickest and most effective treatments for whitening. During these treatments your dentist will put a protective gel on your gums and put an oral shield on your mouth to protect your gums and cheeks. They will then apply a bleaching agent to your teeth around your braces. Typically, these are made of varying concentrations of strong hydrogen peroxide. Most in-office treatments will use a special light to activate the bleaching solution, though other treatments are available using in-office bleaching trays. The bleaching solution needs to sit under the special light for at least an hour in most cases. Sometimes the treatments will cause discomfort in the short-term. Bleaching gels can irritate gums and make teeth more sensitive. You may need more than one treatment for optimal results, depending on your dietary habits and the shade you want. These can be expensive and whitening treatments are not always covered by dental insurance. Since these treatments are done only once or twice, the bleaching solution may not soak into the enamel under your brackets. For optimal results, wait to use this method until after your braces are taken off. However, if your brackets are on the back of your teeth this method is ideal as bleaching gel is only applied to the front of your teeth. This method might be a good option for you if your teeth have darkened since you got braces. Since it might not bleach the area under your brackets, it may be best to try other alternatives first. In-office whitening can be very expensive. The average cost of in-office whitening procedures is $650.00. Compared to other very effective at-home treatments, this procedure costs much more. You will have to go to a dentist's office to get this treatment done. Not all dentists offer this service. The gel can have a very unpleasant taste and the cheek guards can be uncomfortable, as you will have to keep your mouth open for an hour or so. It may require more than one session to completely whiten your teeth. The best results come from changing the whitening gel every 40 minutes and repeating the session.

What is a summary?
Consider in-office professional whitening treatments. Prepare to spend at least an hour to an hour and a half at each treatment. Understand that with this method you might have darker areas under your brackets. Be aware of the drawbacks of this procedure.