How to Whiten Your Teeth from Home
- Active Ingredient
- Application Method
- Application Time
Everything else is just marketing.
1. Active Ingredient
Let us simplify things for you. Hydrogen peroxide whitens teeth the best. But you won’t find it in most home whitening products because it is so reactive, it can burn soft oral tissue. If you want results fast, you need to have professional teeth whitening.
Your best choice for home whitening, therefore, is carbamide peroxide (CP). Carbamide peroxide breaks down into hydrogen peroxide to whiten teeth gradually, without burning or irritation. The main drawback is that it takes time to get your teeth white with CP gel. Expect to wear whitening trays every night for up to two weeks to achieve the results you desire.
We recommend CP gel with 36% carbamide peroxide for the perfect combination of whitening power and gentleness. If you find this is too strong for you, choose a lower percentage of the active ingredient, like 22% CP.
If you live in an area where hydrogen peroxide is restricted, such as the UK, your next best choice is sodium percarbonate teeth whitening gel.
To summarize, the three most effective active ingredients for teeth whitening gel are:
- Hydrogen Peroxide – most effective but reserved for professional use.
- Carbamide Peroxide – perfect for home whitening.
- Sodium Percarbonate – the best option wherever peroxide is restricted.
Verify the Manufacturer’s Credibility
The other thing to consider when you’re shopping for the right home whitening product is the credibility of the manufacturer and the seller. Teeth whitening gel loses its efficacy over time. Look for gel made in the USA by a reputable manufacturer and stamped with lot # and expiration date.
2. Application Method
There are two effective application methods:
- Paint-On
- Whitening Trays
We developed the paint-on method specifically for professional treatments with peroxide gel because it keeps power-gel away from gums and lips. It’s also used with touch-up pens. For home whitening, most people will use a whitening tray of some kind. The more customized the tray, the better. A dentist can give you the best fit but it’s very expensive. Your next best choice, for a semi-custom fit, is thermoforming whitening trays. Here is a video on how to mold thermoforming trays to your teeth.
The amount of time to use the gel depends on the active ingredient in the gel. The hydrogen peroxide gel is FAST – you can get whiter teeth in as little as one hour. But we’re talking about how to whiten your teeth at home, so let’s talk about how long to use carbamide peroxide gel.
You need to leave the CP gel on your teeth for 20 – 60 minutes per application, once or twice a day until you achieve the level of whitening you desire, for up to 14 days.
Please note, saliva begins breaking down the active ingredient in the gel within 20 minutes. Therefore, most of the whitening occurs in the first 20 minutes of application time.
We created a simple chart for you to use that pairs the active ingredient with the recommended time and application method.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Fastest & Most Effective- Professional Use
- Paint-On Method or Gingival Barrier Req’d
- 20 Minutes Per Application
- 1-3 Applications Per Treatment
- 1 Day (all done in 1 sitting)
- Home Whitening Product with HP: TAN WHITE™
Carbamide Peroxide
Gentle & Effective- Home Whitening
- Tray Method
- 30-60 Minutes Per Application
- 10-14 Applications Per Treatment
- 5 -14 days (depending on if you do 1 or 2 applications per day)
- Home Whitening Product with CP: Deluxe Home Whitening System
Sodium Percarbonate
Safest & Gentlest- Home Whitening – EU
- Tray Method
- 20-35 Minutes per Application
- 10-14 Applications per Treatment
- 5-14 Days (depending on if you do 1 or 2 applications per day)
- Home Whitening Product with Non-P: EU-Compliant Premium Teeth Whitening Kit
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