Home whitening products have rapidly spread in recent years. At the beginning they consisted of customized masks to be worn during the night hours based on gel solutions with a low concentration of carbamide peroxide. There are products on the market today that promise teeth whitening in a short time, but is effectiveness guaranteed?
The different applications of home whitening treatments
In the past, home whitening treatments only had their effect if applied for 6-8 hours. The new products on the market however, thanks to changes in their chemical composition, can be applied in a reduced time, “promising” a whitening effect in just 15 minutes.
The reduction in time is partly due to the gel composition which has been reformulated using: 4% to 15% hydrogen peroxide or 10% to 22% carbamide peroxide.
Effectiveness of treatments and adverse effects
In a research published in December 2021 in the Journal of Esthetic Restorative Dentistry, some researchers compared home whitening systems with reduced application time with home whitening systems applied overnight with custom trays.
The research was aimed at evaluating not only the effectiveness of bleaching, but also adverse effects and patient satisfaction.
Sixty patients who underwent a 14-day home whitening treatment with different types of application were included in the study:
- Opalescence – 10% hydrogen peroxide with prefilled trays held daily for 30 minutes;
- White Class -10% hydrogen peroxide with custom masks held daily for 30 minutes;
- Opalescence – 10% carbamide peroxide with custom aligners held daily for 2 hours;
- Opalescence -10% carbamide peroxide with custom aligners held daily for 8 hours.
Evaluation of home whitening treatment
The evaluation of the effects of the whitening treatment was carried out by analyzing the following parameters:
- color difference (visual and by spectrophotometer)
- tooth sensitivity (via visual analog scale)
- gum condition (via Löe index)
- enamel mineralization (by laser fluorescence)
- patient satisfaction (through a questionnaire)
Results
One year after treatment, the color difference was similar for all patients. All also showed increased dentinal sensitivity. The intensity of sensitivity and gingival irritation was mild for all gels used in the study.
The fluorescence after whitening provided similar results to healthy enamel and all patients were satisfied with the treatments.
Home whitening with 10% gel with pre-filled and personalized trays in a reduced time of 30 minutes has proved to be an effective treatment for teeth whitening, but we remind you that in Europe the concentration limit of hydrogen peroxide is 6%.
Our advice, before proceeding with a home whitening treatment, is to always discuss with your dentist and to take into account that some products can lead to slight hypersensitivity and potential gum irritation, a consultation with the dentist can certainly direct you towards the choice of the best product.
