The most common type of home teeth whitening involves placing a gel-like whitening solution, which usually contains hydrogen peroxide, in a tray that resembles a Nightguard or mouth guard. Over-the-counter mouthpieces are unlikely to fit correctly and can cause gum irritation if the whitening agent seeps out. The tray is then placed over the teeth for a certain period of time, anywhere from an hour or two to overnight.

There is a difference between the teeth whitening kits you can get from the supermarket and the high-strength home whitening kits our office is able to provide. Store-bought do-it-yourself whitening kits feature a "boil-and-fit" mouthpiece that can be uncomfortable and generally requires more whitening gel per tooth to achieve whiter teeth. The gels in the store-bought whitening kits are also are not as concentrated as what we can offer which means it takes longer to achieve desired results. Serramonte Dental Group uses kits that are able to create an exact-fit whitening tray that is custom built for your teeth. This maximizes the displacement and effectiveness of the whitening gel ensuring that it surrounds the teeth evenly and entirely. Additionally, our home-whitening kits use a high-strength proprietary whitening gel that you can't get over-the-counter from a supermarket which means your teeth get a deeper and longer lasting result in less time.

If you are thinking or have any questions about our single-visit teeth whitening system or about our take-home whitening kits, please call us at 650-756-0938. You can also request an appointment and get set-up for your one-hour whitening appointment.