When discussing teeth whitening, dentists measure results in “shades.” A shade is the smallest difference a human eye can detect between two colors. Most people who get professional teeth whitening get 2-9 shades whiter.

As you might expect, 2 shades is noticeable but subtle, while 9 shades is fantastic! If you’ve done a lot of over the counter teeth whitening strips already, you may only get 2-3 shades whiter, while people who have not done teeth whitening before can expect more dramatic results.