Are At-Home Teeth Whitening Products Easy to Use?

Teeth whitening can be done in three ways. The dentist can whiten your teeth at their office, or they can dispense teeth whitening treatments that you can apply to your teeth from the comfort of your home.

You can also whiten your teeth with over-the-counter teeth whitening treatments.

If you find yourself wondering how easy it is to use teeth whitening treatments at home, let us find out.

Different types of at-home teeth whitening options

The active ingredient in most teeth whitening treatments is hydrogen or carbamide peroxide, which is a bleaching agent. Prescription teeth whitening treatments have more peroxide than over-the-counter treatments. Because peroxide is slightly corrosive and can cause tooth sensitivity, patients should be careful with teeth bleaching products.

A minority of whitening treatments have zero peroxides in them. Instead, they either have abrasive materials that scrub the enamel or chemicals that remove stained enamel.

At-home teeth whitening treatments can be bought over the counter or they can be dispensed by a dentist. The treatments come in several forms. For example:

1. Whitening strips

These over-the-counter treatments are easily available, affordable and easy to use. All a person has to do is press the plastic strip onto the teeth and leave it there for the duration specified on the packaging. Once in contact with the teeth, the bleaching agent in the strip starts to do its job.

However, the strips can come loose in some places, which means that some teeth may end up whiter than others. Because they have a low concentration of peroxide, whitening strips should only be used for mild discoloration.

2. Teeth whitening pens

They are also known as paint-on or brush-on whitening formulas. Using the dispensing pen, a person applies the peroxide-based gel directly onto the front or upper surface of the discolored tooth. Applying the gel to the front teeth is easy, but a person will still run into a few difficulties such as:

• In order for the gel to stay in place, it must be applied to a dry tooth surface
• For the gel to work, the tooth surface must remain undisturbed to keep the gel from being washed away, which means no talking or eating for the duration of the treatment
• It may be hard to apply the gel to the molars

3. Teeth trays

They can be dispensed by the dentist or bought over the counter. A person should choose custom teeth trays from the dentist over generic teeth whitening trays, since custom teeth trays will fit better and bleach the teeth evenly.

Teeth trays are easy to use. All a person needs to do is fill them with the bleaching agent and wear them.

Factors that determine how to go about whitening teeth

When it comes to improving the color of teeth, each person has their own specific needs.

• Surface discoloration is easy to treat; intrinsic discoloration goes deeper into the enamel and can only be removed with a dentist’s help, so no whitening strips for tetracycline stains
• Yellow stains are easier to remove than brown stains, and brown stains are easier to remove than greyish stains, which means greyish stains need a dentist’s attention
• A teeth whitening method for adults may not work on children
• Teeth whitening does not work on dental restorations
• Whitening should not be done on teeth that need dental restorations or on a person with periodontal disease

Consult the dentist before starting at-home teeth whitening

Teeth trays are the easiest and most effective way to whiten your teeth. They also whiten the teeth evenly. Whitening strips also work, but not as well as trays.

That said, not all teeth whitening methods will be a good fit. The method that best suits you depends on your budget and your dental history. That is why you should get the advice of one of our dentists before starting the process. They will make you a treatment plan that will give you beautiful, white teeth.

Ready for whiter teeth?

Go to https://www.sacramentosleepdentist.com for more information about at home teeth whitening or call Dental Excellence of Greenhaven at (916) 293-0504.