Many people want a brighter smile, which is why teeth whitening is popular. Although you can buy at-home teeth whitening kits, the Oral Health Foundation recommends getting your teeth whitening gel from a professional to ensure the best results.
You can use teeth whitening gel at home to refresh your smile, but how can you ensure you get the best results from your treatment?
As a start, you need to invest in custom teeth whitening trays. These are made to fit your teeth, based on an impression of both your lower and upper teeth taken using a type of putty.
To take the impression, you bite down on the putty as directed so that our technicians have what they need to make your customised teeth whitening tray. Once you receive your tray, you’re ready to start the treatment to change the shade of your teeth.
These custom trays aren’t just designed to fit to your teeth, they are also designed to contour to your gum line for a perfect seal that will prevent the gel from escaping while it’s doing its work.
But how do you ensure that you get the placement of the whitening gel right? And how do you know how much gel to use?
Tooth whitening gel is normally supplied in a syringe-like container, so use this to insert a small blob of the gel into the middle of the reservoir for each tooth that is visible when you smile.
Getting the gel central in the whitening tray is crucial because this will ensure it works on the whole tooth and doesn’t leak out and irritate your gums. That’s another reason why custom trays are a good idea as they typically provide the best seal.
Once you’ve got all the gel in, fit the tray over your teeth. Don’t worry if a bit of gel spills out of the sides. Simply wipe this away from your gum using a cotton swab. Often you’ll be directed to leave the whitening gel on overnight while you sleep.
In the morning, remove the tray from your mouth, clean your teeth thoroughly and make sure you also clean your teeth whitening tray with clean, cold water, using a toothbrush to remove any residue of the gel.
