The Best Teeth Whitening Trays | 2023

Whether you’ve got a special event coming up or you’d just like to remove years of stains from your teeth, using teeth whitening trays can help boost your confidence and make your teeth brighter from the comfort of home. Whitening your teeth with these trays is usually as simple as applying whitening gel and keeping the tray in your mouth for a short time daily over the course of a week or two.

When exploring teeth whitening trays, you’ll find they often come in kits that have multiple tubes of whitening gel and either a single double-sided tray or separate top and bottom trays. The whitening trays are usually one-size-fits-all, so you don’t have to worry about molding them. You will likely need to apply the whitening gel, and some kits like this have an accelerator light attached to the tray that helps speed up whitening.

Sometimes, you’ll find pre-filled teeth whitening trays that take care of the preparation work. These are designed for convenience since you won’t have to deal with applying gel, and you can just throw away the whitening trays after use rather than going through a cleaning process.

If you’re looking for teeth whitening trays that offer a custom fit, moldable options exist and usually are sold separately without the whitening gel included. You put these types of trays in boiling water and then bite into the flexible plastic to make a mold. You get more flexibility in the type of whitening gel you choose with this option.

When comparing teeth whitening tray kits, keep in mind that you’ll find different strengths for the whitening gel used. Higher strengths allow for shorter wear times than lower strengths, but may increase sensitivity during use. You’ll also find the whitening gel often includes extra ingredients to improve the flavor, help with sensitivity or strengthen the teeth.

• Before you start using any teeth whitening trays, consider talking to your dentist to make sure you don’t have any dental problems that the whitening gel could irritate.
• Be sure to brush and floss before you start the teeth whitening process each day.
• Aim to apply the whitening gel around halfway up inside the trays.
• After you first whiten your teeth, you can expect to have to use the kit again in the future to maintain the results as your teeth accumulate stains again. Usually, you won’t want to go through the whitening process any sooner than three to six months later.
• To help keep your teeth whiter for longer, pay attention to what you eat and drink. Soda, tea, wine and coffee can all stain the teeth, as can foods with strong colors. Smoking can also lead to stained teeth.
• Using teeth whitening trays can lead to sensitive teeth, especially if you use a kit with a strongly concentrated gel or leave the gel on for too long. So, pay close attention to the kit’s instructions and stop using the kit if you notice issues.
• Avoid using too much teeth whitening gel since you can often get four applications out of a single syringe. Using too much can irritate your mouth and cause a mess.
• Be sure to clean any reusable whitening trays after each use.