Teeth whitening strips are a home based method of whitening your teeth and are an alternative to tray based teeth whitening products.

Teeth whitening strips are thin polyethylene strips that are pre-coated in a film of hydrogen peroxide which acts as the bleaching agent. The whitening kits come with two different sets of strips one designed to be used on the lower teeth and the other on the top teeth.

In order to whiten your teeth you apply the bleach by pressing the teeth whitening strips firmly into place on your teeth. The teeth whitening strips should remain in place for periods of 30 minutes at twelve hour intervals over 7 – 14 days with the number of days depending on the strength of the bleaching agent used with the teeth whitening strips you decide to use (6% - 10%).

Teeth whitening strips are generally intended to be worn for shorter periods than teeth whitening trays and are far less bulky so more comfortable to use.

One of the downsides of teeth whitening strips is the fact that they make use of hydrogen peroxide as the bleaching agent. The use of hydrogen peroxide doesn’t tend to be widely supported in the dental industry as the amount of bleaching agent required to make any significant difference to the color of your teeth would not be safe to use in the home environment. Carbamide peroxide is thought to be the preferred option which is now available in tray based teeth whitening products.

Some level of side effects tends to be a general problem when using teeth whitening strips as a method of whitening teeth with the most common side effects being gum irritation and sensitive teeth (both problems will generally disappear over time). The likelihood of suffering from such side effects is reduced if you use teeth whitening strips with the lower concentration of bleaching agent (6%) which will deliver the same result as the higher concentration strips but it will just take longer to whiten your teeth.

A similar level of side effects is likely to be experienced with other home based teeth whitening products due to the bleaching agent and / or the trauma of the bleaching trays. Custom made trays, which are now available without going to your dentist, are designed to minimize gum irritation as a result of the whitening process.

Despite the wider availability of custom trays the dental industry still recommends the involvement of a cosmetic dentist if you are considering and form of teeth whitening products given the fact that there are certain situations when teeth whitening is not a viable option such as when you have dental crowns, bridges, implants or veneers, if you are pregnant or have sensitive, cracked or chipped teeth.

Author: Terry Ross