Tooth whitening products are more in demand than ever before. Dental whitening done by a dental professional can be prohibitively expensive; so many people are looking into at-home tooth whitening products.

Because the store shelves are stocked with many different brands of bleaching products, you need to be armed with a bit of knowledge; otherwise it's difficult to figure out which product will be the best for you.

So let's have a closer look at the many products available for whitening your teeth.

Paint-on Tooth Whitening Products

This was initially promoted as a better alternative to the bulky, plastic trays employed by the average gel products, but these days paint-on tooth bleaching products are proving not to be as convenient as initially thought.

Users of these products have found that once paint-on products have been applied, many do not have the proper bleaching effect because they don't stick to the tooth long enough. One of the reasons is it's difficult for the tooth dry long enough before closing your mouth.

Despite these difficulties paint-on bleaching products have, they can still be useful whiteners if users are diligent with their application.

Strip Tooth Whitening Products

With these, hydrogen peroxide is used as the bleaching agent, and it is coated onto the back of thin pieces of plastic. These strips are then pressed directly against the tooth, thus avoiding the cumbersome plastic trays that the gel products require.

It seems that strip products do retain contact with the tooth longer than paint-on whiteners, which gives the peroxide more time to penetrate the tooth enamel which in turn results in better oxidizing of the dentin beneath.

The strip type of bleaching, products typically produce noticeable results in 7 to 10 days, if the strips are worn for 30 minutes, twice a day. Results also depend on the strength used which usually can be 6% or 10% peroxide solution.

Gel Tooth Whitening Products

Gel products are the ones you usually find available over the counter in general retail stores. But some stronger formulas are available when monitored by a dentist.

Gel products use plastic dental trays to deliver a hydrogen peroxide solution to the dentine surface of the tooth, which allows the peroxide to better penetrate stains.

Another form of gel whitener utilizes a syringe to deliver an extra sticky coating of 10%-20% carbamide peroxide bleaching agent to the tooth.

Another important consideration of these products is the amount (%) of peroxide they contain. Generally, the higher the level of peroxide in the solution, the quicker the whitening results occur.

Summary:

Tooth whitening products are more in demand than ever before. Dental whitening done by a dental professional can be prohibitively expensive; so many people are looking into do-it-yourself-at-home products.