Home Teeth Whitening Instructions
Prep for Whitening
~ Store your maintenance whitening gel in the fridge for extended life. Remove about 10 mins before use so gel is not so thick.
~ Store your whitening trays in their case away from small children and pets.
~ If you wish to see the progress of your whitening, feel free to whiten one arch at a time. This is not necessary, and both can be whitened simultaneously. This is a personal preference.
~ It is normal to have sensitivity when whitening your teeth. This is because the teeth become dehydrated enabling the teeth “pores” to expand, allowing the whitening gel to seep into the several layers of tooth enamel removing the proteins that cause tooth stain. It takes 24 hours for your natural saliva to rehydrate your teeth after you whiten. If you whiten several days in a row, the sensitivity does not really go away but slowly intensifies. If the sensitivity becomes uncomfortable, change your whitening days to every other day or every 2 days.
~ If your teeth tend to be sensitive in general, using a toothpaste developed to strengthen and reharden tooth enamel, such as Sensodyne Proenamel, before, during, and after whitening your teeth will help.
~ Taking 2 Advil before whitening your teeth also helps with the sensitivity as it is an anti-inflammatory.
Whitening Instructions
1) Place a small drop of whitening gel in the center of each tooth reservoir that faces outward. It is not necessary to put gel in the last 1-2 teeth of both the top and bottom trays as these teeth are usually not seen in the smile line. This too is a personal preference as some may wish to whiten all the way to the last molar.
2) Place each tray in your mouth. Suck the tray in, compressing any air pockets out of the trays.
***Note, if any gel “oozes” from the trays, you put too much. Put less next time you whiten & with a wet toothbrush, brush away the excess gel from your gums.
3) Suggested time to leave trays in your mouth without drinking any fluids and/or minimum talking:
10% up to 3 hours, 20% up to 2 hours, & 35% 30-40 minutes…
4) While whitening your teeth and 24 hours after wearing your trays it is advised to stay away from smoking and food and/or drinks of dark color to prevent absorption of color.
***A great rule of thumb: If it stains a white t-shirt, it will stain your teeth.
Examples- Coffee, dark soda, green tea, ketchup, mustard, blueberries, beets, strawberries, red wine
5) Touch-ups can be done as needed depending on your home habits. A patient who drinks lots of coffee or dark soda is going to need to touch-up more often. Normal touch-up is every 8-9 months for 1 or 2 nights as patient feels it is needed for that extra brightness.
***IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, DO NOT HESITATE TO PHONE 24/7 AS DR. FRIEDMAN AND HIS TEAM ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE TO THEIR PATIENTS. 832-691-4466
