Comparison of over-the-counter whitening agents

Currently, over-the-counter products have been marketed to change the shade of your teeth, today we will review the 4 most used agents and you will know which of them is the most effective and which of them promise to do so, but do not achieve it.

Of course you have heard or used whitening toothpastes, as it is the most common type of over-the-counter teeth whitening agent, which contains abrasives for stain removal (extrinsic) along with low amounts of hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide that theoretically help to lighten teeth.

Another option found on the market are whitening strips, which contain hydrogen peroxide (in concentrations of 5 and 14%), these adhere to the teeth releasing the active ingredients and need to be used between 5 and 60 minutes once or twice a day.

The famous whitening mouthwashes were also studied, these usually contain low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (1.5%) and sodium hexametaphosphate that promise to lighten teeth.

And finally we find the gels or varnishes for painting, I consider them to be the least known in Colombia, which contain hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, these are brushed on the tooth enamel adhering the whitening agent to the teeth.

So which of these 4 categories would be the right one to whiten your teeth at home by yourself?

Among the most studied whitening agents was toothpaste, which surprisingly reported few changes in tooth tone, since these were only effective in cases where extrinsic (external) stains on the teeth were removed.

When studying the whitening strips, it was found that they achieved efficient results in changing the color, the only drawback was the sensitivity produced by the product, leading to the suspension of the treatment in order to continue it after the sensitivity disappeared and the prolonged application time of the strips, which was up to 6 weeks to observe changes.

The study reports that only the whitening strips and the gels or varnishes for painting are effective in observing real changes in the tone of the teeth, with the strips being much more effective.

However, none of these treatments yielded a better result than in-office whitening (with hydrogen peroxide or carbamide), because the protocols established by us, the dentists, are demanding and help improve the result obtained, among which are the indications for whitening, being able to choose the ideal one to use in each case and the recommendations that must be followed rigorously in order to observe changes in the tone of the teeth and, for me, the main advantage is being able to whiten your teeth quickly and safely under the eye of a specialist without exposing your teeth to unjustified sensitivity and pain.

And you, what whitening agent would you use on your teeth?

Source:

Naidu AS, Bennani V, Brunton JMAP, Brunton P. Over-the-Counter Tooth Whitening Agents: A Review of Literature. Braz Dent J. 2020 Jun;31(3):221-235. doi: 10.1590/0103-6440202003227. Epub 2020 Jul 13. PMID: 32667517.