SmileBrilliant! Teeth Whitening Trays

Tooth whitening is best described as tooth bleaching because it does not actually ‘paint’ the tooth white, what it does is it bleaches away the stains on the surface of the enamel and within the dentin.

Once all stains have been removed the tooth will be restored to its natural color. The natural color of one person’s teeth may be different from another’s. Some people are fortunate to have naturally bright white teeth while others have a shade of off-white or in some cases yellow. Teeth whitening will NOT alter the natural color of the tooth; it will only remove the stains.

We all want whiter, brighter teeth. At home remedies such as baking soda and acidic fruits will help remove some of the surface stains; however it will not attack the deeply embedded stains within the dentin. In the end at home remedies cause more harm than help: When brushing with baking soda you are slowly damaging the tooth’s enamel (which cannot be restored) due to the abrasiveness of the baking soda. Acidic fruits are not recommended due to simple fact that acid erodes the enamel which eventually leads to tooth decay.

The safest, most effective means of removing stains from your teeth is with the use of hydrogen peroxide (HP) or carbamide peroxide (CP). It’s not to say there are zero risk associated with the two but unlike the risk of using at home remedies, HP and CP risks are temporary and are limited to tooth sensitivity and gum irritation.

Hydrogen peroxide is only used by dentist because the dentist can control the distribution of the gel using “dental dams” and cheek protractors which holds the hydrogen peroxide on the tooth and prevents it from coming in contact with the gums. Carbamide peroxide is hydrogen peroxide suspended in gel that has a sticky formula that holds the gel on the surface of the tooth.

Both hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide are sold in a variety of concentrations which range from 10% to 44%. No matter the concentration both bleaching agents will remove all stains from the tooth; however the lower the concentration the more applications you will require. It is not recommended consumers use more than 22% carbamide peroxide without dental supervision due to increased tooth sensitivity and the increased risk of severe gum irritation.

Tooth Sensitivity

It is estimated that tooth sensitivity will occur in 66% of all teeth whitening users; however for the vast majority the severity will be very mild.

Even though there are at least a dozen causes of tooth sensitivity, there’s really only one thing going on: the inside of your tooth is getting exposed to the harshness of the outside world. In this scenario it is hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.

Teeth are mostly made up of dentin, which itself is filled with little tubules rife with sensitive nerve endings. Normally, these tubules in the dentin are blocked off by enamel, a protective layer on the outside of every tooth. Dentin hypersensitivity kicks in when we have receding gum lines, grind, decay or have thin or cracked enamel, exposing our teeth’s delicate insides.

Desensitizing gel is a pre-whitening application that the user applies to the teeth whitening trays and wears for 30-60 minutes before using the teeth whitening gel. The desensitizing gel has chemicals specifically designed to fill the exposed tubules in the dentin thus blocking the bleaching agent from coming in contact with the dentin.

Whitening tooth pastes and mouth washes typically do NOT contain hydrogen peroxide and even if it did it would not be very effective because in order for it to remove the stains from the surface and within the tooth it would need to maintain contact with the tooth for a minimum of 45 minutes. Another downfall to whitening tooth paste is it usually contains abrasive material that wears down then enamel. Enamel cannot be restored and will result in increased tooth sensitivity.

Whitening Strips will remove all surface stains from the tooth it comes in contact with over time; however strips are not adequate for combating those stains found in the crevices where the teeth adjoin (especially when the teeth are not perfectly straight). Strips are also NOT effective around the gum lines, nor do they reach the molars.

The Effective Whitening Solution

Custom fitted teeth whitening trays are without argument the most effective means of whitening/bleaching teeth because they hold the gel to the surface of the tooth, crevices, and gum lines for hours without interruption. The trays are fabricated using an exact impression of the consumer’s dental structure. Once the impressions have been taken they are sent to a dental lab where a lab technician will pour a plaster molding into the impression. Once the plaster has hardened they remove the impression from the plaster molding and begin fabricating the custom fitted teeth whitening trays.

Benefits of custom fitted teeth whitening trays:

• Last for years: maintaining stain free teeth can cost as little as $20 a year
• Ensures all stains on the entire tooth (molars, crevices, and gum lines included) are removed.
• Treatments can be applied while sleeping
• Results will be the same as in office power bleaching with laser
• Tooth sensitivity solution available
• More effective than strips and in the long run there is a cost savings

In the past custom fitted teeth whitening trays were only fabricated and sold by dentist for $400+ however SmileBrilliant! shook the industry with their lab direct process. By removing the dentist from the tray creation process SmileBrilliant! has lowered the retail price of custom fitted teeth whitening trays to $89.95 which is a 77% price reduction!