With professional teeth whitening systems you basically have two main bleaching options the first being a tray based tooth whitening process and the second being laser teeth whitening which is activated by using a laser light. Zoom tooth whitening (Zoom being the brand name) is one such tooth whitening product that uses laser light.

The camps are split over what value the laser light adds to the teeth whitening process with some cosmetic dentists and other dental professionals believing that the laser light does little to speed up the tooth whitening process or improve the final result.

The manufacturers of the laser teeth whitening systems (who also sell the very expensive laser light!) maintain that the laser light activates the peroxide bleaching agent thereby speeding up the tooth whitening process. 

There have been several studies that have supported the belief that laser lights do not speed up the process nor do laser lights (according to these studies) deliver any better result than the standard tooth whitening process.

Some dental professionals also believe that the heat generated from the laser light, particularly from the older machines might increase the risk of side effects from the tooth whitening process including gum damage and tooth sensitivity. However, the opposing argument is that the laser light means that patients are subjected to the bleaching agent for a far less period of time thus reducing the possibility of side effects and making laser light systems more suitable for those with sensitive teeth.

It has to be said that the modern laser lights tend to produce far less heat thus the possibility of any heat effect issues from the laser light is greatly reduced.