At-home teeth whitening systems

At-home tray teeth whitening can be a safe and effective way for a person to bleach their teeth, but it is important for anyone choosing to utilize this type of system to realize that essentially all of their whitening treatments will be performed on their own, with absolutely no direct supervision by a dental professional. Because of this, anyone bleaching their teeth must be certain that the specific whitener they are using is safe, and that they know how to use this product in an appropriate manner. Failure to meet either one of these conditions could result in damage or harm. There are a wide variety of tooth bleaching products that are available to you as a consumer, both from your dentist and also over-the-counter (i.e., drug stores). You might assume that any tooth whitener which is available has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the "FDA") but this is not the case. The FDA does not categorize tooth whiteners as drugs and therefore it does not regulate them.

As one of its functions the American Dental Association (the "ADA") has chosen to set guidelines for dental products. These guidelines dictate standards for both safety and product effectiveness. In the case of at-home tooth whiteners, the ADA's guidelines state that a whitener (when used as directed) must not be harmful to either teeth or the soft tissues of the mouth, and that it can effectively whiten teeth.

A manufacture can, at their own effort and expense, present to the ADA findings drawn from their research and clinical trials. If the ADA finds that their guidelines have been met by this data they will issue to the manufacturer, for that specific product, the ADA's "Seal of Acceptance." Since earning the ADA's seal is expensive and time consuming for a manufacturer, and optional, earning this seal clearly demonstrates a company's commitment toward creating a quality product. Those manufacturers who have earned the ADA's seal will usually display it prominently on their product's packaging.

You may discover that the product your dentist has chosen for your use has not been granted the ADA's seal. There can be good reasons for this:

    * As we all know, many products are manufactured as "generic equivalents." It is very possible that your dentist has reviewed the literature detailing the properties of the product they have dispensed to you and are satisfied that it is appropriate. As you might expect with a generically equivalent product, its manufacturer might not seek the ADA's seal as a way of minimizing the expense of bringing the product to market.
    * The product you have may contain a level of carbamide peroxide that is greater than 10%. As a result of their clinical experience and what they have read in dental literature, your dentist may feel that a whitener containing a concentration of carbamide peroxide that is in excess of 10% is indicated and appropriate for your use. In this case, you should always feel free to quiz your dentist so they can relate their specific thoughts and rationale to you.

Facts you should know about "at-home" tooth bleaching products (as of January, 2006):

    * The only at-home tooth whiteners (peroxided based) that have yet been able to earn the ADA's "Seal of Acceptance" are tray-based dentist-dispensed products. No over-the-counter products (such as those sold in your local store) have earned the ADA's seal.
    * The active ingredient contained in all of the at-home tooth whiteners that have earned the ADA's seal, and the compound which has been evaluated in the vast majority of at-home tray-based bleaching studies, is carbamide peroxide at a concentration of 10%. (The active ingredient found in some over-the-counter at-home tray-based bleaching products is not carbamide peroxide but instead hydrogen peroxide.)

 All references to tooth whiteners (whitening gels, tooth bleaches, bleaching agents, bleaching gels, etc...) found on the following pages of our At-Home Tray-Based Teeth Whitening topic refer only to those "at-home" dentist dispensed bleaching products that have earned the ADA's "Seal of Acceptance", that are utilized in custom fitted bleaching trays that have been fabricated by a dentist, whose use is monitored by a dentist, and are used in accordance with both a dentist's and the manufacturer's instructions.