06:15 PM Mountain Standard Time on Friday, November 18, 2005

By Brandy Aguilar / 3TV Producer

Whitening your teeth has become a popular thing to do these days. Whether you do it at the dentist or with an at-home product, are you getting the same results?

Stacie Reid of Scottsdale decided to test a product called Ionic White. It claims to give you a whiter smile in just 21 minutes. The cost online is $92.48.

"I've been interested in doing the home whitening things because, of course, they're a little less expensive," Reid said.

Kristen Smith of Phoenix will use a professional teeth-whitening process, which usually takes an hour from start to finish. The cost is $600.

"I thought about it quite a few times because I think your smile is the first thing people see," Smith said.

To help us determine which teeth whitening system will give you the best results, we enlisted the help of Valley dentist Kenneth Magri.

He said both women have similar staining on their teeth.

"Will patients get some degree of bleaching? Sure. I'm sure they will. The products are very similar," Magri said. "It's just when you go to your dentist, the concentrations of the strengths are obviously different plus it's safer."

Magri used a product called Zoom on Smith.

"We protect the gums from any of the bleaching agents," Magri said. "Also, we put a gel onto the teeth, which is the actual bleaching process. It uses a photo-reactive light, which actually activates the bleach and bleaches your teeth."

"It isn't too drastic, but it's enough to where I can see it and I'm happy with the results," Smith said.

With the Ionic White system, you place two whitening gels into the Ionic White unit. You then place the unit into your mouth and turn the light on for two minutes.

After the light goes off, you swish the remaining gel in your mouth for five minutes. You repeat this process two more times.

When that's complete, you spray a whitening rinse on your teeth and use the Ionic White unit for another two minutes.

It actually took Reid a little longer than 21 minutes.

So did it really work?

"I think after the second treatment, I could start to see a little bit and then I was having more results after the third," Reid said.

Magri thought Reid's color changed, but thought it had more of a milky tone. As for Smith, he believes her teeth got whiter by about five shades.

"If you're looking for a slight whitening, you might want to use this Ionic White or a product similar to it," Magri said. "I think the most drastic change result you're going to see is professional."

Magri said the professional whitening treatment might last up to a year.

The Ionic White makers say doing the 21-minute gel treatment once a month should keep your teeth looking whiter and brighter.