The Great Teeth Whitening Debate: Trays or Strips?

So you’ve decided to invest in your smile and get rid of some of those unsightly coffee stains. What next? Are there different options to choose from? When most people think about teeth whitening options, the first things that come to mind are probably teeth whitening strips or an expensive visit to a dentist for professional whitening using trays. Thanks to extensive marketing campaigns from dental companies pushing the whitening strips, they have become synonymous in most people’s minds with a sparkling white smile that is achievable at home. However, just because they are the most popular option does not mean that they are necessarily the most effective.

Whitening Strips or Trays: What Are My Options?

Strips

There are essentially two types of home whitening solutions available at the moment. As we have said, the most popular option is whitening strips. Whitening strips are applied to the teeth for between 20 and 60 minutes daily for one to two weeks. The strips contain a similar solution to the gel used in whitening trays but at a lower concentration. Their main selling point is that they are more convenient than whitening trays, although they are more wasteful and tend to be less effective. They are marketed much more aggressively because, while they involve less upfront investment than whitening trays, if you want to maintain your smile with touch-ups they become much more expensive in the long run. 

Trays

Whitening trays are less well-known compared to strips, but they are a much more effective option. Using custom-molded trays and a peroxide-based whitening gel, they allow for more even, extensive coverage of the teeth. This translates into shorter whitening times and much brighter smiles. While they do require purchasing a more expensive product to get started, they are by far the cheaper, more sustainable option if you intend to maintain your new sparkling smile going forward. 

Custom whitening trays from your dentist can cost hundreds of dollars. By having you make your mold in the comfort of your own home, SportingSmiles can offer the same high-quality whitening trays for under $100.

Once you have invested in your own custom whitening trays, all you need to purchase is the gel when you run out to do touch-ups and keep your teeth looking bright and radiant. With proper care, a set of our custom whitening trays can last you for several years. Purchasing whitening trays through a dentist can be quite expensive though, costing up to $400 or more. That is why we decided to cut out the middle man and connect our customers directly with the same dental labs that dentists use. This allows us to offer high-quality custom whitening trays at a fraction of the cost. 

How do Trays Work?

With our custom home whitening kit, we will send you an impression kit so that you can take an accurate dental impression and send it back to us. From there, we create a custom-molded set of whitening trays and then send them back to you with some whitening gel to get you started and an instruction card. The custom trays ensure that you get the most out of your whitening gel. They keep the gel where it needs to be without overflowing onto the gums and causing discomfort or burning sensations. 

Once you receive your custom trays and gel you can immediately begin whitening your teeth. You will need to wear your trays for approximately one to two hours a day for a week or two. The duration will depend on how much whitening is required. Once you have reached your desired whiteness you can move into a touch-up regimen. Using the trays for an hour or two once every two weeks or so will keep your smile shining.

While whitening strips can work to some degree, whitening trays provide the best results. If you have any questions at all about our home whitening options don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. They are always ready and willing to help you find the right whitening solution for you.