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Teeth Whitening Instructions

Teeth Whitening Instructions for use with professional bleaching gel and whitening trays.

 

Important Disclaimers:

Please read before using tooth whitening bleaching gel.

These are general recommendations and may vary between manufacturers. Please read the manufacturers instructions and use this as a friendly guide in addition to the manufacturers instructions.

Dental Work:

Tooth Whitening (bleaching) gel will only whiten natural teeth. It will NOT bleach (whiten) nor harm bonding, caps, crowns, bridges, fillings, or any other artificial dental work. You may have to have the dentistry redone to match your new white teeth. Tetracycline (an antibiotic) stained teeth or grayish teeth are more difficult to bleach and have a varied prognosis. The exposed root portion of teeth, which occurs with gum recession will also not bleach. If you have amalgam (silver) fillings in, near or behind the front teeth, long term bleaching can cause the surrounding tooth to have a greenish tinge. Bleaching teeth that are see-through can cause the teeth to become even more translucent and may give the tooth a darker appearance. It is essential to consult a dentist if you have any of the above concerns.

 

Sensitivity:

Your teeth or gums will most likely become sensitive. It's common while using all products containing peroxide-based gels, and it is not harmful. In case of increased sensitivity, reduce usage time or frequency until the sensitivity subsides. Due to the high prevalence of sensitivity, dentist.net recommends the routine use of Dr. Collins BioMin Restore Toothpaste before and after using bleaching products.

 

Warnings:

Keep bleaching gel out of reach of children. Do NOT use if pregnant or during nursing. Do NOT smoke, drink or eat while bleaching your teeth.

 

Product Shelf-life:

DENTAL WHITENING GEL SHOULD BE REFRIGERATED FOR LONG TERM STORAGE. Shelf life is typically one year un-refrigerated and two years refrigerated (Nite White and Day White have a 2 year un-refrigerated shelf life.)

 

Please read the manufacturers instructions and use this as a friendly guide in addition to the manufacturers instructions.

 

For more answers to common whitening questions, click here. Please visit our sensitive teeth section for more about tooth sensitivity.

 

 

 

PRE-BLEACHING INSTRUCTIONS TO MINIMIZE SENSITIVITY

    1. Two weeks before bleaching, brush your teeth regularly with a desensitizing toothpaste like Dr. Collins BioMin Restore Toothpaste. 
    2. After brushing for a few days, wear your EMPTY bleaching trays alone for a few hours or even overnight.
    3. After wearing the empty trays, fill them with Relief ACP Desensitizing Gel for 1 hour before bleaching. Alternatively, dentists also recommend placing desensitizing toothpaste like BioMin Restore in the tray.
    4. After getting used to having the trays in your mouth, remove any desensitizing toothpaste or gel before putting the bleaching material in the tray. DO NOT MIX bleaching material and desensitizing material. Please refer to the bleaching instructions:

 

USAGE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL-GRADE DENTAL WHITENING GEL

 

It's important that you apply the teeth whitening gel properly in order not to waste any of the gel and so that you experience the least amount of sensitivity while using the gel.

 

1. Immediately Before Treatment:

Brush and floss right before bleaching your teeth. Whitening products are most effective with clean teeth. Try the trays in first without any beach to check the fit and comfort. Make sure that the bleaching trays are clean and dry before applying the whitening gel. Moisture reduces the efficiency of the whitening gel and slows down the whitening process.

 

2. Applying the Bleaching Gel:

When you apply the gel, make sure not to fill the trays. Place a SMALL drop of tooth whitening gel halfway inside on the front surface of the tray. DO NOT spread the bleach around. It should just be in front of each tooth in the tray. Recap the syringe for the next treatment until empty. 

 

The average treatment per arch requires approximately 0.5ml of whitening gel. We recommend that you only bleach the front 6-8 teeth since no one sees the back teeth.

 

3. Inserting the Bleaching Trays:

Insert the whitening tray in your mouth over your teeth. Seat the tray firmly against your teeth. Wipe any excess gel that seeps onto your gums with your finger or with a tissue. Wear the tray with the gel as directed below.

 

4. Wearing Time:

We recommend that if you haven't used whitening products before, use for 30 minutes to 1 hour the first time. You may increase the wearing time if there is little or no tooth sensitivity.

 

General manufacturers recommended wearing times are:

 

For Carbamide Peroxide Bleaching Gels:

    • 10%, 15% or 16% strength can be used 2 to 4 hours once or twice/day. You can keep it in overnight while sleeping if you don't experience major sensitivity after initial applications.
    • 20-22% bleaching gel: use for 30 minutes to 1 hour once or twice per day. DO NOT exceed 1 hr/application.

 

For Hydrogen Peroxide Bleaching Gels:

    • Day White and Dentist.net Hydrogen Peroxide Bleaching gel can ONLY be used for 30 mins to 1 hour.

 

5. After Whitening:

Remove the tray and rinse off your teeth. Brush any remaining gel away. Brush, floss, and continue routine dental cleaning. Apply desensitizing gel and use BioMin Restore if your teeth become too sensitive. Repeat steps 1 through 4 again using the desensitizing gel.

 

6. Caring for Your Trays and Gel:

Clean the whitening trays with a toothbrush or Q-tip and cold water. Store trays in the tray holder and gel in a cool and dry place away from heat and direct sunlight. The gel may be refrigerated to prolong the shelf life, but do not freeze.

 

DENTAL WHITENING GEL SHOULD BE REFRIGERATED FOR LONG TERM STORAGE. Shelf life is typically one year un-refrigerated and two years refrigerated (Nite White and Day White have a 2 year un-refrigerated shelf life.)

 

Please read the manufacturers instructions and use this as a friendly guide in addition to the manufacturers instructions.


 

Additional Notes:

  • On average, desired level of whitening results are achieved after 20-30 cumulative sessions of wear-time.
  • Continue brushing your teeth with Dr. Collins BioMin Restore Toothpaste in between bleaching.
  • Longer wear times create faster whitening results but can also result in more sensitivity without the proper precautions being followed.
  • Faster results can be achieved with higher concentrations of Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide but can also result in more sensitivity without the proper precautions being followed.
  • 50% of the bleaching takes place in the first 1-2 hours.
  • We highly recommend you bleach the top teeth first (one tray at a time) and use a low strength percentage of bleaching gel. Use 10% carbamide peroxide (CP) to start.
  • Repeat the cycle daily. If you don't experience any significant issues with sensitivity, you may replace 10% CP with a higher concentration to possibly shorten the bleaching time.
  • If you have sensitivity after bleaching, do some of the following:
  • Skip a night/day or two of bleaching, and start again.
  • Start with 30 minutes and increase the wearing time if you experience no sensitivity.
  • Most effective is to place Relief ACP Desensitizing Gel or Dr. Collins BioMin Restore Toothpaste inside the tray after bleaching. Do NOT mix desensitizing material with bleaching gel.
  • Use alternate applications of the tray. Use desensitizing material before and after using bleaching products.