A review of paint-on teeth whiteners (including Colgate Simply White Night ® and Crest Night Effects ®).
| ⇓ Here's a brief overview of our topic - Paint-on Teeth Whitening Products! Colgate Simply White Night ® and Crest Night Effects ® are examples of paint-on teeth whitening products. Paint-on teeth whiteners are a relatively new type of whitening system. Colgate introduced their Simply White ® product in 2002. Crest's Night Effects ® and Colgate's Simply White Night ® were brought to the over-the-counter marketplace in 2003. While the teeth whitening chemistry involved with paint-on teeth whiteners is similar to that of other types of whitening systems, the paint-on delivery technique utilized by these products offers advantages that other whitening systems cannot. This same delivery system, however, also creates some disadvantages for this teeth whitening technique. The pages of our review describe paint-on whitening products. Both in terms of the science involved and how these products are used. We also discuss common side effects associated with paint-on whiteners and outline some of the advantages and disadvantages of using them. We also voice our opinion about the type of whitening results you might expect to achieve when using a paint-on teeth whitening product as compared to other types of teeth whitening systems. Crest Night Effects is a registered trademark of the Proctor & Gamble Company. Colgate Simply White and Colgate Simply White Night are registered trademarks of the Colgate-Palmolive Company. |
What is paint-on teeth whitening?
Paint-on teeth whitening technique is simply an extension of the science of peroxide-based teeth bleaching, a process that has become widely popular with both dentists and consumers alike. What makes paint-on whitening systems unique is simply the method by which the bleaching agent is delivered to the surface of the teeth being treated.
With any type of successful teeth whitening process, the bleaching agent needs to be held in contact with the surface of the teeth being treated for an appropriate duration of time. With some whitening methods this contact is facilitated by the use of bleaching trays or plastic strips. In the case of paint-on whiteners no delivery apparatus involved. Instead the whitener is applied directly onto the surface of the teeth using a brush. Once the whitener has been painted on it solidifies, therefore creating an adherent film.
What types of peroxide compounds are found in paint-on teeth whitening products?
Colgate's Simply White ® was the first paint-on product to be brought to the over-the-counter marketplace. As any dentist might guess, its formulation contains carbamide peroxide (at a concentration of 18%, which is equivalent to 6.3% hydrogen peroxide) as its bleaching agent. The reason that it might be expected that Colgate would choose this type of peroxide for its Simply White ® product is that carbamide peroxide is the standard peroxide that is utilized with the dentist dispensed tray-based teeth whitening systems (the whitening technique that ultimately lead to the explosion of over-the-counter teeth whitening products found for sale today). No doubt Colgate was influenced by the abundance of dental research available from studies and clinical trials detailing the effectiveness and safety of the use of carbamide peroxide as a teeth whitener when they were developing Simply White ®.
Manufacturers have chosen other forms of peroxides for those paint-on whiteners that have come onto the market since Simply White ®. Colgate Simply White Night ® contains hydrogen peroxide (6.7%). Crest Night Effects ® utilizes sodium percarbonate peroxide (at a concentration of 19%, which is equivalent to 5.3% hydrogen peroxide). [Manufacturers can and do revise the precise composition of their products. Please check the labeling on the product you have purchased for information about its precise peroxide content.]
How long are paint-on teeth whiteners left on teeth?
The directions for Colgate Simply White ® state that the product should be painted onto the front surface of the teeth being treated and then left in place for thirty minutes. Their recommendation is that Simply White ® should be applied twice a day. In comparison, Colgate Simply White Night ® and Crest Night Effects ® are products that are intended to be applied before a person retires to bed. The bleaching treatment occurs overnight as the user sleeps.
There is a tendency for paint-on teeth whiteners to wear or wash off of the tooth surfaces to which they have been applied. With most of these paint-on products it seems that there is better adherence of the whitening film to the surface of the teeth if they have been dried off first (either 30 seconds of air drying or else wiping the teeth with a washcloth). At the end of a bleaching treatment the complete removal of the whitener can be insured by brushing the teeth with a toothbrush.
Before you decide to begin teeth whitening treatments...
The availability of paint-on teeth whiteners, as well as other forms of over-the-counter whitening products, can remove a valuable resource from the teeth whitening process. The resource we're referring to is your dentist. No individual could possibly know more about the topic of teeth whitening and how it specifically relates to you and your situation than your dentist.
Besides just providing your dental treatment, your dentist should also be considered to be your dental advisor. It is their obligation to share their knowledge and experience with you and advise you about the use of dental products, teeth whitening and otherwise, both those items obtained from over-the-counter sources and those products dispensed from their office.
Each and every teeth whitening processes should begin with an examination by your dentist. There are a number of issues that need to be addressed and documented. Some of the more important of these are an evaluation exploring why the tooth discoloration you have noticed exists. Is it normal or is it possibly the result of dental pathology? And an evaluation determining if the whitening goals you hope to achieve are realistic.
Peroxide-based teeth whitening products, such as paint-on teeth whiteners, will not typically produce a whitening effect for existing dental work (an exception to this rule can be teeth with dental veneers). Because of this it is important to have your dentist evaluate and identify where in your mouth dental restorations exist and also determine if it is anticipated that they will need to be replaced after the whitening process has been completed. There can be a considerable amount of treatment time and expense associated with replacing dental work.
Our pages that discuss tray-based teeth whitening products (Topics Index) address many of the concerns we have mentioned here. We strongly encourage you to read these pages so you understand the importance of having at least some degree of dentist involvement during your use of an over-the-counter whitening product.
