Once upon a time, teeth whitening was one of those procedures that only the very rich - and the 'very vain' - could afford. In those 'dark ages,' teeth whitening typically cost thousands of dollars; pushing out of reach for the masses. To be sure, many people would have preferred to attain the 'perfect smiles' that came with perfectly white teeth. But thanks to the prohibitive cost of the procedures involved in teeth whitening, many had to make do with what they had (and make rationalizations for it), seeing that they simply couldn't afford to have their teeth whitened.

A number of factors were behind the high cost of teeth-whitening procedures in those days. One was the cost of the products used in the procedures, things like chemical bleaches and 'mechanical' devices like veneers. At a time when only a few companies had patents to make these product (soon after their 'discovery), and at a time when the technology for making the teeth whitening products was still rudimentary, it was understandable that the cost of the products so produced would be considerably high. Another factor behind the high cost of tooth whitening procedures, in those days, was that there were only so many cosmetic dentists who could perform the procedures. And teeth whitening technology had not yet evolved to a point where it could be safely performed by the people looking to whiten their teeth themselves: one still had to visit the cosmetic dentist's clinic to get even the most basic procedure performed.

In recent days, though, we have seen the cost of teeth-whitening going down. Indeed, in the developed parts of the world, whether or not to go for teeth whitening nowadays boils down to whether or not one fancies it. In other words, the cost consideration has been removed, to an extent that you can have relatively good teeth-whitening on a budget of under a hundred bucks.

So what are some of the factors behind this trend, which has been bringing down the cost of teeth whitening?

Well, one thing is the rise in competition in the teeth-whitening products industry. In the face of emerging competitors (especially after expiry of patent years), pioneer companies in the industry find themselves forced to lower their prices. This they have to do as they try to come to terms with competitors who have not had to invest in R&D (research and development) and who can therefore afford to sell their products cheaply, and still make a tidy profit. All this has the ultimately effect of pushing down the cost of teeth whitening products.

Second has been the increase in the number of cosmetic dentists. So cosmetic dentistry is no longer the very unique specialty it was seen as. Almost every city nowadays boasts of a cosmetic dentist. And while dentists don't undercut each other in pricing, the fact that they are so many of them has the gradual effect of pulling down their prices.

Third has been the improvement in tooth whitening technology. This empowers the people looking to whiten their teeth to do some of the procedures themselves, thus reducing the cost of the whole whitening venture further.