Do over-the-counter teeth whitening systems work as well as dental procedures?

It depends.: Over the counter products are going to be much weaker, and therefore less effective than professional whitening for the same amount of application time. Less effective, but they can still work, given enough time and patience to follow through. It also depends on the particular brand. Over the counter kits rarely tell you what the whitening agent is, so its difficult to make valid comparisons.

Depends: White teeth have different meanings for each individuals. Some product you can buy over the counter may whiten teeth enough to make you think it was well worth it. On the same token, you can sit in a dental chair and spend hundreds of $, and may not get the results you were looking for. Successful whitening teeth depends on your definition of whitening and your expectations.

Whitening: The products dispensed from a dental office are superior over otc products. A dental exam needs to be done before any whitening materials can be used

Slower: They work, but slower.

Depends: Depends on what you mean as well as... If you're comparing the same time frame, generally in-office professional whitening works most effectively.... See your dentist about what you mean.