Your smile is important. It's one of the first things you notice when you meet someone.
Your lifestyle and the aging process can stain and darken your teeth. Many things we do on a regular basis can contribute to stained teeth, such as drinking coffee, tea, cola and red wine or smoking.
Teeth whitening is a bleaching process that lightens discolourations of enamel and dentin by using either a Hydrogen Peroxide formula (Quicker) or a Carbamide Peroxide formula which creates an oxidation reaction.
For teeth whitening to be effective, you need to have a whitening gel containing either Hydrogen Peroxide or Carbamide Peroxide in contact with the teeth’s enamel for a period of time.
Studies done by the American Dental Association indicate that this process does not damage the enamel and is safe. The structure of the tooth is not changed, only the colour is made lighter.
Effective teeth whitening products use one of two chemical agents - Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide. When applied, Carbamide Peroxide breaks down into Hydrogen Peroxide and Urea, with Hydrogen Peroxide being the active whitening ingredient. Treatments using Carbamide Peroxide take a lot longer to work than those using Hydrogen Peroxide because of the time it takes for the Carbamide Peroxide to break down. To compare whitening strengths: Hydrogen Peroxide is approximately 3 times the strength of Carbamide Peroxide. (i.e. 6% Hydrogen Peroxide is equivalent to 18% Carbamide Peroxide).
A higher strength of the active ingredient will not necessarily deliver improved results and can lead to gum irritation and increased tooth sensitivity. Also, gradual whitening over a number of days has been reported to achieve a longer lasting result. All CleverWhite products contain 6% Hydrogen Peroxide and other proprietary ingredients that increase the overall whitening effect. Our research shows this to be the most effective strength for home use.
Clinical studies have proven that the CleverWhite One-Step Teeth Whitening Trays will whiten your teeth up to 7 shades whiter, with an average improvement of 4 shades, with little or no undesirable side effects.
For the whitening process to work, the whitening agent needs to stay in contact with the teeth for a suitable period before it’s washed away with saliva. So the most effective whitening comes from a process which uses gel-filled mouth trays.
If you get a home treatment kit from a dentist, it will include mouth trays which fit your teeth exactly. However, you will pay a higher price for these customised trays. Some over the counter home kits require you to soften the trays by immersing them in boiling water before moulding them to your mouth. You also need to carefully measure and place the gel in the trays which can also be time-consuming and messy.
The pre-filled trays in the CleverWhite One-Step Teeth Whitening Trays are individually and hygienically vacuum- packed to maintain their freshness and effectiveness. They are flexible and uniquely designed to conform to the shape of your teeth, so that they are comfortable and will whiten even the back of teeth or irregularly aligned teeth. By using two trays, you can whiten your upper and lower teeth at the same time. These trays ensure the whitening gel maintains contact with your teeth for the recommended 30 minutes of treatment time.
Some people do not like sitting with a tray in their mouth unable to communicate which is why CleverWhite Dissolving Whitening Strips are a great alternative. You can put strips on your upper and lower teeth and then drive to work or catch the bus. There is nothing to remove as they dissolve on your teeth in 5-10 minutes.
If the whitening agent in a gel treatment is Carbamide Peroxide, the gel needs to stay in contact with the teeth for a much longer period than for treatments whose gel contains Hydrogen Peroxide. Carbamide Peroxide gels are therefore usually used where the trays can stay in overnight.
Hydrogen Peroxide acts much more quickly and is used in all CleverWhite products. This means that you can gain a whitening effect in as little as 5 minutes. If at the end of the treatment you have achieved a whiter smile but would like to improve the shade gain, simply repeat the full treatment. Light activated laser treatments available from dentists usually use a 35% Hydrogen Peroxide gel. This very high level of Hydrogen Peroxide can shorten the total whitening process to 1 hour. However, the results may not last long as the process has not had sufficient time to stabilise in the teeth and the cost is usually between $800 and $1000.
There are many different teeth-whitening brands and methods available today with various claims, prices and promises. Here is some information to help you make the best choice for your teeth:
Whitening toothpastes usually contain a polishing or chemical component which helps remove surface stains. However, once you stop brushing, the whitening process also stops. The active ingredient must also be mild to be suitable for daily use. Some whitening toothpastes also include abrasive ingredients - like Sodium Pyrophosphate and Tetrasodium Phosphate. They break down stains, but can also break down tooth enamel, making your teeth more likely to darken. So ensure you read the label! Whitening toothpastes can be effective in reducing surface stains caused by tea and coffee you have consumed that day. However, the active ingredients are not strong enough to penetrate the teeth and whiten any stains that are within the tooth enamel. Whitening toothpastes are ideal as a maintenance procedure.
These products are based on applying a thin layer of Hydrogen Peroxide to your teeth. While this is a simple procedure and the product is usually low cost, it has some disadvantages. Firstly, the product tends to rub off and wash off easily so contact time is very short and thus the whitening effect is limited. Secondly, most contain alcohol that can dry out the teeth. And thirdly, once you open the pack, the potency of the unused remainder of the product tends to diminish over time. Some of the latest products also contain a white pigment that can give the appearance of whiter teeth. However, this will quickly wear away and most products of this type are not clinically tested to deliver a whiter smile.
These types of products are best used to maintain a whiter smile longer but will not lead to significantly whiter teeth. We recommend the CleverWhite Tooth Whitening Stick to keep your teeth white. It is the only brush-on product with 3-phase whitening in one simple step. It delivers Surface Whitening, Deep Cleansing Whitening and Optical Whitening.
It has been clinically tested and shown to deliver a relative shade improvement average of 54.70% with a maximum shade improvement of 5. This was achieved over 2 weeks with the stick being used every day and night.
These products usually consist of strips that are infused with Hydrogen Peroxide which need to be pressed against the surface of your teeth. However, because your teeth are not perfectly flat, the strips cannot effectively whiten the entire tooth evenly so the result can look unattractive. These strips also do not custom-fit the unique arch of teeth and tend to overlap on the gums which can cause irritation. Also, as the strips are sticky they can easily attract dirt and bacteria.
NEW CleverWhite Dissolving Whitening Strips contain thin, transparent and virtually invisible strips that mould extremely well to the teeth delivering great contact. They dissolve within about 10 minutes to leave your teeth whiter, brighter and your breath fresher.
The dissolving film technology used in the CleverWhite Dissolving Whitening Strips is the ideal delivery system for the active peroxide ingredient because it can maintain its stability and safely carry the perfect dosage. The strips allow for a sustained and controlled release of the peroxide which speeds up absorption by the tooth enamel to deliver exceptional whitening results. They also help to maintain good oral health while whitening your teeth.
They are fast, easy to use and safe.
If you review the treatments available at dentists, you will find variations of Use-At-Home Kits and procedures such as laser treatments which shine intense light on a very strong bleaching solution that has been applied directly to your teeth. Dentists certainly offer effective ways to whiten your teeth but the associated cost can be high depending on the treatment used and the dentist involved. It is not unusual for some treatments to cost as much as $1200 which is a great deal more expensive than many effective, off-the-shelf teeth whitening kits!
While high concentration whitening gels used together with laser light to speed up the whitening process can be very effective, it has been reported that gradual whitening over an extended period usually delivers longer lasting results.
These kits are one of the most cost effective ways to whiten your teeth. Usually, such kits contain a mouth tray that you need to firstly boil to soften it before biting into it, to create a mouthpiece that will fit the exact shape of your teeth. Then, you need to place a thin layer of Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide gel in the tray before inserting it in your mouth for the prescribed period.
CleverWhite One-Step Teeth Whitening Trays simplify this process with one-size fits all trays that are pre-filled with the right amount of whitening gel. These innovative trays have been designed to conform to the shape of your teeth, shape of your teeth, so that they are comfortable and will whiten even the back of teeth or irregularly aligned teeth. CleverWhite One-Step Teeth Whitening Trays are the fastest and easiest over-the-counter, at home tooth-whitening system available.