With the myriad of teeth whitening products available, it is difficult to choose one. Let us take a look at teeth whitening trays. They are available either in the dentist office or over-the-counter. They are molded to the teeth, and then they are filled with a hydrogen peroxide containing gel. Finally, they are placed on the teeth where they will hold the peroxide to the teeth for a long period of time.
Aquafresh White Trays are the most well-known over-the-counter whitening trays. The gel contains ten percent hydrogen peroxide.
Gels that users get at the dentist often contain more than ten percent hydrogen peroxide, making them more effective. The trays and gel are usually given to a patient after a laser teeth whitening treatment or other teeth whitening treatment in order to complete the finishing touches of the treatment.
Whitening trays have advantages over other teeth whitening products.
They are superior to whitening toothpastes, because whitening toothpastes only contain abrasive materials and do not contain the bleaching agent hydrogen peroxide.
Whitening mouthwashes fail in comparison to whitening trays as well, because they only expose the teeth to the hydrogen peroxide for a minute or less, while the trays hold it for a longer period, usually twenty minutes.
Whitening strips are not as effective as whitening trays in the sense that they do not get into the cracks and grooves in between the teeth, because they lay on of them. Whitening trays, because they use a gel, do get into these cracks.
Unfortunately, whitening trays come with their share of problems, too. Since they are filled with a gel, the placement of the product is more difficult to control. It is easy to have some of the gel get spilled into the mouth in unwanted areas, and it is easy to touch the gel to the gums.
When the gel spills into other areas of the mouth, it will taste bad. More importantly, however, it will burn the tissue, which can lead to gum and tooth sensitivity. Although this sensitivity usually subsides within twenty four to forty eight hours, it is best avoided.
Whitening trays do definitely whiten the teeth well. They do not have the “zebra” effect that the strips do, because they get into the grooves in between the teeth. Whitening trays are the most thorough in this sense, second only to laser teeth whitening. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend them due to the difficulty in controlling where the hydrogen peroxide goes. Even though the product works well, it does not justify causing damage to the mouth.
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