Teeth Whitening Gels

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Whitening Gel Ingredients

The gels used in bleaching trays have to meet certain requirements and to meet these; the following compounds are typically used:

1)Gelling agents

So to be suitable for use in a bleaching tray, the gel must be thick enough so that it doesn't easily escape. At the same time, however, the gel needs to be runny enough that it readily spreads out and covers over the teeth being treated. In order to meet these requirements, most whiteners contain an emulsifying (thickening) agent so their flow characteristics are ideal.

2)Desensitizing Agents

Some manufacturers include a desensitizing agent in the formulation of their bleaching gels. They feel that by doing so they can help to minimize the degree of bleaching-induced tooth sensitivity that the users of their products experience.

3)Stabilizers

Peroxides are by nature relatively reactive. And because of this tooth whiteners tend to degrade over time, which in turn compromises their effectiveness.

As a way of increasing the shelf life of their products and insuring customer satisfaction, the formulation of most whiteners includes a stabilizer. Unless otherwise stated, you can anticipate that most carbamide peroxide-based whitening products are intended to have a shelf life of at least one year.

4)Bleaching agent

Usually this whitening agent is carbamide peroxide. When exposed to water carbamide peroxide breaks down into hydrogen peroxide with a little bit of urea thrown in. It is the hydrogen peroxide that then produces the free radicals which produce a tooth whitening effect.

Different whitening products will likely contain different concentrations of bleaching agent. However, it is common that a company will manufacture more than one whitening gel product, each of which will then have its own peroxide concentration which will range between 10 and 38%.

The advantage of a higher concentration whitener is that the tooth whitening effect will be produced more rapidly. The disadvantage of a higher concentration gel is that it will be more likely to create bleaching side effects (such as tooth sensitivity and gum irritation).

An important fact to know is that either form (meaning either a relatively higher or lower concentration whitening gel) can be used to produce an essentially identical end level of tooth lightening effect.

5)Flavoring Agents

So to help to insure that the use of their product is as pleasant as possible, many manufacturers include a flavoring agent in the formulation of their whitening gels. This is especially common with tooth whiteners that contain a relatively higher concentration of bleaching agent.

6)Buffering Agents

The pH (measured acidity) of a whitening product should be as close to neutral as possible (pH 7.0). Whiteners that have a comparatively high level of acidity are more likely to create bleaching-induced tooth sensitivity and, in extreme cases, even tooth damage.

It is generally considered that an acceptable pH range for a whitening gel is between 5.5 and 8.0. As a way of achieving this measure, most whitening gel formulations include buffering agents.