The FDA has issued clearance for the use of diode lasers for tooth whitening -- an in-office process that may be faster than some technologies, and more accessible than others.

The number one elective procedure chosen by dentistry patients is teeth whitening, and the number of people doing it is growing rapidly. For years, dentists have performed either at-home bleaching procedures or in-office techniques. In the at-home procedures, a patient typically wears a peroxide-containing mouthguard either twice a day or overnight for 2 weeks.

For in-office procedures, the dentist applies a bleaching agent to teeth and exposes the teeth to a high-intensity (sometimes laser) light to restore whiteness.

Biolase's tooth whitening system is based on the use of an 810 nanometer (nm) diode laser in combination with a whitening gel. Other types of lasers that operate on different wavelength frequencies -- such as the 488 and 514 nm wavelength argon laser -- have been available in the US for bleaching treatments for some time.

The diode laser offers both patients and dentists advantages over other lasers -- lower cost and increased availability. And it is more convenient than at-home procedures.

If you have a take-home bleaching tray kit you have to go a couple of weeks with a lot of discipline, and it's not user-friendly. The system may be superior to some in-office procedures, including ones that use light to speed the process. According to the American Dental Association, these techniques can take more than one office visit lasting 30 minutes to an hour per visit.

That procedure works quite well but ties up 2 hours of a patient's time. This system will treat the whole mouth in a few minutes.

We can do a whole arch of teeth in 15 seconds.

The diode laser's ability to completely bleach an entire mouth in under 2 minutes -- repeating the process approximately once every 2 to 3 years -- will go a long way to satisfy the hunger of what is estimated to be an almost $1 billion demand for tooth whitening annually.

Many dentists across the US have already acquired the device -- making its use for tooth whitening both cheaper and more accessible for patients.

Lasers, and the diode laser in particular, do have many advantages over other tooth bleaching methods. A laser is a wonderful way to pinpoint the problem. One tooth may be yellower than another, for example, and a laser can deal with each tooth differently.

Also, a diode laser, specifically, is extremely convenient for dentists since it's about the size of an answering machine.

Laser light is generally a much faster way to activate the bleaching process and that it is much less sensitizing, resulting in significantly less stress on the nerve and the pulp of the tooth.

But yellow-toothed yuppies may want to think twice before stampeding their local dentist demanding a lasered return to their gleaming glory days.

There is a concern though as most people don't really know if they have large fillings or caps -- they might not know that they have those in their front teeth, and if you start the bleaching procedure on teeth like the laser you lighten the teeth but the caps and the fillings stay the same shade. So many people are not really good candidates for this procedure.