Hydrogen peroxide
The most commonly used gel is carbamide peroxide. It consists, as the name suggests, of carbamide and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The hydrogen peroxide is the actual bleaching agent.
It is also used at the hairdresser to color the hair or in cleaning agents. The carbamide is a tasteless, colorless gel, which has the task of slowly releasing the H2O2 little by little. When the gel is heated, the process is faster, as with any chemical reaction.
In the mouth, where the temperature is about 35-36 degrees, H2O2 is released from the carbamide peroxide gel for about 8 hours. Although only very small amounts of H2O2 are released, 8 hours would be too long for home bleaching. The free bleaching sets have a maximum of 6% H2O2 content.
Anything over 6% is only available at the dentist or on prescription. In Office Bleaching, a 40 percent gel is sometimes used. There are already toothpastes with peroxide content, which promise a brighter result after several weeks.
For more than two weeks you should use this toothpaste twice a day instead of the normal one. However, these toothpastes can only remove superficial discoloration that comes from coffee or red wine. In principle you can also use pure H2O2 for bleaching.
Either you prepare a solution with water yourself or buy 2 to 3.5 percent solutions in a pharmacy. With this solution you can rinse your mouth for about 20 seconds. However, there is no guarantee that the desired result will be achieved. In addition, the solution comes into contact with the gums and the oral mucosa, which can cause great damage. It is best to consult a specialist, namely your dentist, before rinsing.
Bleaching at home
Since professional tooth whitening in the dental office is often quite expensive, many patients suffering from tooth discoloration would like to have a simple but effective way to perform bleaching at home. For this reason, various manufacturers offer inexpensive bleaching products for home use. All these products usually have a good whitening effect and can be used by users with healthy enamel without hesitation.The application becomes problematic only with people who have carious defects, signs of wear in the area of the enamel or gum inflammation.
Even for patients suffering from severe gum recession, the production of white teeth by bleaching at home can be problematic. It should also be noted that the bleaching effect of root-filled teeth is usually much less than in healthy teeth. For this reason, home bleaching can result in considerable differences in color.
White teeth through so-called home bleaching can generally be produced relatively easily. Some patients use special bleaching strips or gels, which can be used very easily. A better method from the point of view of the whitening effect is the application of bleaching substances on a previously made tooth splint.
