The New Teeth Whitening Kits

Image by wellcome images via Flickr

teeth whitening kits have improved a lot since they debuted in the 1990′s.

It is no wonder, considering how much is spent on products designed to give people whiter teeth and brighter smiles.

The original kits have gone, and the new kits are so much better.

A trip down memory lane would show you just how far dental practices have improved since those first kits.

The first kits that were available for the general public to buy were very basic. What you got would be a plastic mold and a quantity of gel. You would have to boil the mold, and then shape it by hand into a tray to fit your mouth.

At bedtime you would fill the tray with the correct quantity of gel, place it in your mouth and sleep with it in. The gel worked on your teeth to whiten them overnight. What could be simpler than that?

Basic chemistry proved to be the early kits’ downfall. There seemed to be no justification to wear the tray and gel throughout the night.

The bleaching gel would lose its effectiveness after an hour or two and sometimes was the cause of throat irritation. People came to think that the effects of these kits were not worth the risk of the damage they could do in the long run.

To combat the problem of having to wear these kits all night, and the associated health risks, the scientists developed a new kind of kit.

The new kits no longer contain molds, but strips that could be applied to the teeth.

Because the whitening gel in these kits was of a higher concentration than before, they need only be applied for very short length of time, usually 20-30 minutes.

The new tooth whitening products available have made the earlier models totally obsolete.

Strips and special toothpastes are now the favored choice among those looking to whiten their teeth at home.

Although, trays are still available – both over the counter and at your dentist’s office – most people are satisfied with the performance and results of a commercially available whitening strip kit combined with frequent use of a whitening toothpaste.

Yes, the gel still tastes terrible, but until they design a chocolate flavored bleaching gel you will have to live with it.

Toothpaste has changed a lot since the ammonia and urine era, and so have the teeth-whitening kits.

Ease of use and effectiveness has continuously improved within this product line.  And you can expect even further improvements as time goes on.

Bottom line – the kits are safe and work well if they are used properly and you follow the instructions.

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