Professional Teeth Whitening Professional teeth whitening services for medical clinics.

When is the best time to whiten teeth? In my opinion, during exercise – and now that Spring is finally arriving it’s the ideal time to get double duty out of the time you spend walking, jogging, spinning, or even going to the gym. (Of course if you’re out in public you’ll want to be sure you’ve invested in a thin, light custom fit tray. While any level of tray will provide whitening support, the closer the tray fits your teeth and gums, the better you can ensure maximum whitening with minimum gel, keep the gel on your teeth and away from your gums-ouch!-and make them as invisible as possible to the world outside.)

While some people sleep or nap in whitening trays, it’s not a good practice. Most of the whitening action (50% in fact) happens within the first 15 minutes of use. Wearing your trays for extended periods of time may increase the risk of sensitivity without appreciably increasing the level of whitening result. At Shine, we advise clients to apply whitening gel only on the front surface of the tooth-no need to waste gel or risk sensitivity by whitening the backs—but sleeping in a whitening tray, especially if it’s not a close fitting tray, will increase the risk that some of the gel may seep out of the tray while you sleep and accidently get swallowed.

No studies have indicated adverse affects from this level of accidental ingestion. However, anecdotally I am aware of at least one person who developed symptoms of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) after sleeping in her ill-fitting whitening trays over a period of time. When she stopped sleeping in the trays, the symptoms went away.

But why not whiten while you walk, run or sweat it out to your favorite exercise video? It’s the perfect time to put that 30-60 minutes to extra good use. You’ll tighten your muscles and gain a whiter smile at the same time. After your initial whitening period of 7-10 days, whitening once or twice a week or even a time or two a month is all it takes to keep your teeth at an optimal level of white.