Teeth whitening strips are a home based method of whitening your teeth and are an alternative to tray based teeth whitening products. Teeth whitening strips are thin polyethylene strips that are pre-coated in a film of hydrogen peroxide which acts as the bleaching agent. The whitening kits come with two different sets of strips one designed to be used on the lower teeth and the other on the top teeth.

The method of using the teeth whitening strips is pretty straightforward. You simply press it onto your teeth and leave it there for awhile. Commonly, you have to leave it for 30 minutes. You won’t get much benefit from doing it just the once, however. Usually you will have to do this twice a day for 2 weeks. But this obviously varies from product to product.

Teeth whitening strips can work to some degree, but they don’t really compare to having it done professionally. The main reason for this is the chemicals used. If you have professional tooth whitening performed at the dentist, the chemical that will be used will invariably be “Carbamide peroxide”. This is much more effective than the hydrogen peroxide that’s used in the strips.

Some level of side effects tends to be a general problem when using teeth whitening strips as a method of whitening teeth with the most common side effects being gum irritation and sensitive teeth (both problems will generally disappear over time). The likelihood of suffering from such side effects is reduced if you use teeth whitening strips with the lower concentration of bleaching agent (6%) which will deliver the same result as the higher concentration strips but it will just take longer to whiten your teeth.

Another disadvantage has to do with an individual whitening strip’s shape, and your gums and teeth’s sensitivity. Because an individual strip is straight, it may cause gum irritation, as it may come in contact with your gums. Choose a brand that has a lower solution concentration to avoid irritating your gums. If you have sensitive teeth and gums, stick to brands that have a lower whitening solution concentration. Make sure your teeth whitening strips covers most parts of your teeth for best results. And don’t overdo your whitening treatment; abusive use of any teeth whitening product could result in the weakening of your teeth enamel and some minor damage to your gums.

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