It appears as though nothing is more desirable than a attractive smile since the teeth whitening industry is now surpassing $300M per year.

And despite the new products and fads, professional bleaching, using high-quality professional strength gel and custom fit trays, continues to be the most popular and the most successful method of whitening smiles. No method of bleaching (whether used by itself or in conjunction with other laser or light-based treatments) provides more dramatic results than bleaching, and short of permanent veneers, it’s the method that provides the most lasting results.

Professional strength home bleaching has helped countless number of people increase their confidence by giving them a more bright smile.

Though nearly everyone is interested in maintaining a white and beautiful smile, bleaching is not ideal for everyone. For a person with extremely sensitive teeth, a high level of man-made tooth surfaces, or in need of basic dental maintenance, it is best to let their regular dentist decide if their teeth are healthy enough for bleaching and to recommend the best whitening process a client should undergo for optimal comfort and highest result.

However, with careful use, almost every client can benefit from some level of whitening using a high quality professional-level bleach such as the 20% and 33% carbamide peroxide gel solutions provided by Shine:

1. Patients should be extra careful to keep the whitening gel from touching any part of their gums. A person with any type gum disease should not be getting their teeth bleached at all. However, remember that a good set of custom fit trays, or careful application with a teeth whitening pen can help to keep gel away from the gums. Remember that 50% of the bleaching action happens in the first 15 minutes of treatment, so for anyone who is concerned, there is no need to risk sensitivity by wearing bleaching trays for more than 10-15 minutes at a time.

2. If bleaching gel should leak out of the tray, the client should simply wipe it away with a cotton swab or a tissue rather than let it remain. Also, if any part of the gums appear “white” from exposure to gel when the trays are removed, there’s no problem. Other than possible sensitivity, the gums won’t be harmed by the exposure and will return to their normal pink color within several minutes. However, the white appearance is a sign that too much gel has been applied to the tray, and the client should take care to use a lighter application next time.

3. Teeth bleaching procedures are usually not covered by dental insurance. However, at $99 for a full custom made whitening kit - or $20 for a whitening pen - clients are happy to gain these professional products at a fraction of what their dentist would charge them.

4. Any man-made tooth material will not be further whitened by the application of bleach. This is most important to remember when a client has tooth-colored fillings on the front surface of teeth. While they can and should maintain the color of their teeth post filling, clients should take care to emphasize the spaces between teeth most fully, where darkening happens first, and to avoid making the teeth whiter than the embedded fillings.

5. Whitening toothpastes are a nice complement to a teeth whitening regimen and they can remove light stains and improve the appearance of teeth - but toothpaste alone does not dramatically or permanently change the color of teeth.

6. Teeth that are yellow or gray due to antibiotics will be more limited in their improvement results.

7. If cavities are present, clients should have them filled before whitening.

8. Shine’s professional bleaching kits, which are identical to a dentist’s bleaching kit, contain a much stronger peroxide than the products available over-the-counter, which typically contain peroxide in only a 2-4% strength. This means that a professional kit will be far more effective than what your clients can get on their own.

9. Regular dental cleaning is still imperative to the continued look and health of your smile. Whitening does not take the place of a professional cleaning.

10. For clients who are pregnant - no study has ever indicated a risk of danger to mother or child of carbamide peroxide teeth whitening (although extra care should be taken to be sure the gel is never worn during naps or accidentally ingested). However, for maximum caution, you should advise any patient who is expecting to follow their doctor’s advice before using any teeth whitening gel.

Shine Teeth Whitening offers professional teeth whitening services for medical spas, laser centers and cosmetic medical offices. Shine gives these medical spas and physicians the ability to provide custom teeth whitening services and products like teeth whitening services and fantastic new smile whitening pens.