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 are generally intended to be worn for shorter periods than teeth whitening trays and are far less bulky so more comfortable to use. One of the downsides of teeth whitening strips is the fact that they make use of hydrogen peroxide as the bleaching agent. The use of hydrogen peroxide doesn’t tend to be widely supported in the dental industry as the amount of bleaching agent required to make any significant difference to the color of your teeth would not be safe to use in the home environment. Carbamide peroxide is thought to be the preferred option which is now available in tray based teeth whitening products.

On the other hand, using teeth whitening strips has some downsides to it. One disadvantage is in the limited size of individual whitening strips. Because whitening strips come in uniform sizes and lengths, there is no telling if the brand your best friend’s using is effective for you. The individual whitening strips may not cover all of your teeth. This could result in uneven whitening. Getting around the contours and spaces between your teeth is another disadvantage. Improperly fitted strips may cause an uneven whitening of your teeth, with the more prominent surfaces becoming whiter than other parts.

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.