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Teeth Whitening – Hydrogen or Carbamide Peroxide – What Works Best?

 In the UK we coin a phrase its horses for courses and this would be true for both hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide in terms of what is best for teeth whitening.

How teeth whitening works is by removing the staining in the teeth and therefore these two components have been used by dentists all across the world for many years to brighten the teeth and help restore smiles back to a glowing whiteness.

The amount the teeth will whiten will not hinder on what type of whitening to use but really the decision is down to what strength and speed you desire the teeth to work to.

For the tray based systems used at home etc then most of these kits use carbamide peroxide as it is much more gentle on the gums and soft tissues in the mouth and therefore less likely to cause any blistering or painful burning as it comes in to contact. C.P. works very well but is slow release and therefore is going to take longer to whiten the teeth and might not get so deep in the teeth to work on the really harsh staining caused mainly by tea, coffee and liquid type staining. Now if used regularly enough then eventually it will start to pay dividends but C.P. type kits are cheaper to buy so back to my horses for courses analogy!

The home variations are mainly either strips, trays or paint on applicators which after a few minutes feel slightly warm on the surface of teeth but these kits will not aggravate any sensitivity in the teeth because of their lower strength nature of the product.

The other system that can be used for teeth whitening is hydrogen peroxide (H.P.) which is commonly used in the bleaching trays which are supplied by many dentists and can include some up and coming brand names including nightwhite, polar and ultrabright to name just a few.
Hydrogen peroxide requires the gums and soft tissues to be protected otherwise they will blister as they come in to contact with the gel.
H.P. is much more of a powerful whitening product and will only be found offered by dentists and whitening professionals as without proper instructions it could be dangerous. The positive aspects of H.P. is that is does tend to work on the all types of staining on the teeth’s enamel and can be effective at the deeper stains we collect as we get older.

If you are trying teeth whitening for the first time then it is best to get consent and some advice from your dentist as they will have the experience and knowledge to help you with getting the best results without compromising comfort.

Teeth whitening products and services are going to develop as the industry grows across the world but right now these two gels tend to dominate the business and be used because they work and are reliable in getting effective results. Ultimately most people don’t care they have a budget and want white teeth, how it works is a secondary concern.