When is the best time to perform your whitening treatments, during the day or overnight?

At-home tray bleaching treatments can be performed during the day, at night or a combination of both.

You might be surprised to learn that some manufacturers suggest wearing your bleaching trays primarily at night, while others recommend daytime usage. Upon learning this you might ask, which is best?

Well, from the standpoint of your teeth we can definitively state that it really doesn't matter. You can whitening your teeth safely and effectively using either approach (or even a combination of both), as long as you stay within the guidelines of your product's recommended application times.

There can be advantages to performing your whitening treatments at overnight.

Wearing your bleaching trays at night can provide some advantages. As an example, when a person sleeps the amount of saliva they produce diminishes. This means that if you choose to bleach your teeth while you sleep you will get the benefit that there will be less dilution effect on the whitener contained in your trays. Less dilution means that the dispensed amount of whitener will be more effective.

Another advantage of whitening your teeth as you sleep is that each of your treatments will likely be longer and uninterrupted. In comparison, daytime bleaching schedules are easily cut short by the responsibilities of life.

Bleaching your teeth at night is probably more cost effective.

In general, whitening your teeth when you sleep typically provides the greatest "bang for the buck." This is because each whitener application will be allowed to remain in the bleaching tray to its point of exhaustion.

Daytime whitening sessions, in comparison, may be cut short before the full usefulness of the dispensed amount of whitener has been reached. Because of this, a greater amount of product will need to be used to reach the same whitening end point.

The best treatment approach will depend upon the characteristics of the bleaching gel you are using.

Due to their specific nature, some bleaching gels may be more suited to certain types of application approaches than others. You can expect that the product's instructions will reflect this bias by making recommendations accordingly.

This isn't to imply that "nighttime" whitening gels can't be used during the day and vice versa (as long as you stay within the product's recommended guidelines). But, at least in theory, some whiteners may better lend themselves to certain types of applications.

The 'active life' of the whitener will play a role in determining how it is best utilized.

Some whitening gels have been documented to be active for up to four hours after being dispensed into the user's bleaching trays. These types of gels would, therefore, be very suited to relatively longer application times, such as those whitening treatments performed overnight.

In comparison, shorter-acting gels would be more suited to waking-hour treatments. Times when the duties of life often dictate that bleaching sessions need to be keep relatively short.

( Related content: More about how the formulation of a tooth whitening gel can influence how it is best used. )

In all cases you must read the directions that come with the whitener you are using.

It is paramount that you read the instructions that have come with the whitening gel that you will be using with your bleaching trays. Included in these instructions will be information that outlines what type of treatment time frame is considered appropriate for that particular whitener's use.

Don't assume that all whiteners have a similar recommended application time because they don't. The appropriate use of a bleaching gel is dependent upon its composition, especially the type of active ingredient that it contains and this ingredient's concentration. Failing to comply with a whitener's instructions can lead to a person experiencing significant side-effects or complications.