In my last blog, I discussed in-office bleaching. The other method for lightening teeth is done at home. There are over the counter products and ones that are professionally available at your dentist’s office. The over the counter products seem to work OK for teenagers and young adults, however, with older adults, the professional variety works much better. My speculation is that the stains have been there much longer and are more resistant to the bleaching process.

Custom Tray

In our office, we make a custom tray, essentially an ultra-thin, clear mouthpiece to hold the bleach in the mouth. The bleach that we use is slightly viscous and sticky so it doesn’t run all over the mouth during use. I instruct my patients to sleep with the mouthpiece in all night. The process can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks, but the bleaching solution is not near as harsh as the in-office variety and is much kinder and gentler. This greatly reduces the incidence of sensitivity. Studies have shown that after six months, the results between in-office and at-home bleaching is exactly the same. And other studies have shown that patient satisfaction hovers around 96% positive for at home and less than 50% for in-office.