How to whiten your teeth!

Would you like to have a dazzling white smile?

Since the introduction of tray bleaching in 1989 there has been huge interest in tooth bleaching at home or professional tooth whitening at the dentists.

It is very popular, but many people wonder if the bleaching harms their teeth. I went over the research for both hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide tooth whitening kits and systems of all strengths, and with the exception of 'Opalescence' and 'Rapid White', possibly because of their brands' extreme acidity and alkalinity? - I would say that I would be happy to use all the over the counter tooth bleaches from time to time, and I would be even happier to have my teeth whitened professionally. Just not with Opalescence and Rapid White.

Does tooth bleaching work?

All the tooth bleaches work, because bleach works. Whether you go for a fast acting professional treatment with a dentist or use one of the many teeth whitening kits you can buy over the counter is therefore just a matter of personal preference. It depends on how quickly you would like it to happen.

Dental bleach is absorbed into the tooth enamel and works just under the surface too - this is normal (and a significant part of the whitening effect). Because of this though, I would caution people with sensitive teeth to use a technique that includes light as well (because its faster so you don't need the bleach on as long).