How to Use Dental Office Bleach

Everybody wants an attractive smile. As we age, many factors can cause our teeth to thin and appear darker. Substances such as coffee, red wine and tobacco stain our teeth. Dental-office bleach contains hydrogen peroxide, a powerful oxidizing agent. It lightens the color of the teeth after a series of applications. Teeth bleaching used to be limited to the dentist's office, but over-the-counter bleaching kits also make it possible to get a whiter smile at home.

Things You'll Need

• Bleaching solution
• Two bleaching trays

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Instructions

• 1

  Clean and floss before applying the bleach.

  Clean your teeth. Food calculus gathers on and between your teeth as the day goes on. Nuts, seeds and tough meat are particularly prone to forming calculus. Before you begin using the dental bleach, make sure that your teeth are free from calculus. Applying bleach to unclean teeth can limit the success of your teeth-whitening efforts.

• 2

  Let your mouth relax naturally while the tray is being molded.

  Whitening your teeth encompasses three methods: Your dentist can perform it in the dental office. You can use an over-the-counter kit or your dentist can dispense a home-whitening kit. A dentist-dispensed kit typically has stronger bleach than an over-the-counter kit. The strength of the bleach influences the amount and length of individual home treatments you need.

• 3

  Dentist-dispensed bleach is stronger.

  Molding the bleach tray: In using a dentist-dispensed kit, the dentist will custom fit the tray for you. The bleach tray is very similar to a mouth-guard. Simply let your jaw fall into a natural position. As the tray sets, it will fit to the shape of your mouth.You will have a bleach tray for your bottom as well as top teeth. Both are molded the same way.

• 4

  Dispense the bleach into the tray so that it is one-quarter full. The bleach used in dental office treatments has a significantly higher concentration of peroxide than over-the-counter dental bleach. The dentist uses a paint-on rubber dam to protect the gums from the high concentration of bleach. It is safer for a dentist to apply a stronger solution. Over-the-counter bleaching is cheaper, but it takes longer to achieve the same whiteness you'd get from a dentist-applied kit.

• 5

  Some dental bleach kits contain enough for two or three treatments.

  Fit the bleach tray onto your teeth. Your dentist will explain how long you should keep the tray in your mouth to achieve optimum whitening. Many kits are for overnight use. Remove the tray in the morning and clean it thoroughly.

• 6

  Apply treatment to both top and bottom teeth. The entire process will take between two and four weeks. .