his
process involves the creation of a tray that is molded exactly to your
teeth, in which a bleaching agent is placed and then fit over your teeth.
The bleaching agent is usually a 10% solution of carbamide peroxide. The
longer the bleaching agent can be kept in contact with the tooth, the
faster it works.
A key factor in home bleaching programs is how well the whitening solution
can be kept in contact with the teeth. To accomplish this your dentist
will take an impression of your teeth, make a casting from that impression
and then create a plastic tray that exactly fits your teeth.
The whitening agent is then placed into the tray and the tray is inserted
into your mouth to fit over the teeth to be whitened.
This is where over-the-counter programs fail. Trays provided by these
companies are generic in that they are made for the average mouth and
will rarely fit properly as a result, makes consistent tooth bleaching
a problem. Currently there is no ADA approved over-the-counter tooth whitening
program.
There are several steps to preparing for a home bleaching program. Bleaching
trays need to be made, they have to be fitted to your mouth, the bleaching
agent has to be placed into the trays and then the trays are placed over
the teeth.
Following is a simplified look at the steps involved in home bleaching.
Step 1 
An impression is made of your upper and lower teeth if both areas are
to be whitened. This step is painless and fairly quick. Once completed
this substance hardens and is used as a mold to create an exact model
of your teeth and gum line.
Step 2 
Once the impression has set, a casting is made from the impression.
Step 3 
The finished casting is smoothed and trimmed and then placed into a vacuum
forming unit. A sheet of flexible plastic is placed over the mold, heat
and vacuum suction pull the plastic down to fit tightly over the mold.
The excess plastic is then cut away and the tray is complete.
Step 4 
The whitening agent is then placed into the tray. Usually a small droplet
into each tooth well as shown here.
Step 5 
The tray is then placed into the mouth so that it will fit over the teeth.
Because the tray is made specifically for the patient's mouth, the fit
is perfect and good contact between the bleaching agent and the teeth
is guaranteed.
Step 6 
From this point it's a matter of time and following your dentist's instructions.
Usually it takes a couple of weeks to get the desired results, but for
some patients it can go longer.
If you have any questions about Home Bleaching, please call our office.
Call: 1 (860) 668-0241
