Filling the Mouthpiece with Whitening Gel - When you put the whitening gel into your mouthpieces, the best way to do it is to put a thin layer of gel around the inside front of the mouthpiece (the part that contacts the front of your teeth). When you place the mouthpiece over your teeth the whitening gel will distribute itself such that it comes in contact with the surface of your teeth. It may take you a few applications to determine the right amount of gel to use in each mouthpiece. It only takes a very thin layer of gel on the surface of your teeth to be effective.

Length of Time for Each Dental Whitening Session - The whitening gel will be effective for up to four hours. We recommend using your dental bleaching system for 30-60 minutes per session. You may use it for as little as 10-15 minutes or as long as 3-4 hours per session if desired. Keep in mind that the whitening process is a cumulative effect. You will need cumulative whitening time of approximately 10 - 30 hours to complete your whitening project. You may whiten your teeth for as long or as short of a time as you like for each sessions.

Forming your ThermoForm (Boil & Bite) Bleaching Trays - You must form your mouthpieces in order to achieve the best results from the Boil-n-Bite Whitening Kits. This is a very simple process of heating the mouthpiece in hot water so that it becomes soft and moldable. Keep in mind that you do not need a perfect mold of your teeth for your dental bleaching system to be effective. We provide an extra mouthpiece in each kit so that you can experiment with this process if needed. To mold your mouthpieces you should bring a pot of water to a boil and then turn off the stove to let the water begin cooling. While holding the mouthpiece by its specially designed holding-tab, submerge the mouthpiece into the water for approximately 10 seconds. This will make the mouthpiece soft. After letting it cool just enough not to burn your mouth, place the mouthpiece over your teeth (either upper or lower). Now press the mouthpiece down onto the front of your teeth using your fingers while using your tongue and teeth to press the rear of the mouthpiece to that back of your teeth. If the mouthpiece seems to big for you, simply put it back into the hot water and it will shrink to fit any sized mouth. Repeat these steps for both upper and lower teeth. When the mouthpiece has cooled, test the fit and repeat the above process if you need to adjust the shape of the mouthpiece. When the molding process is completed, cut the holding-tabs off of the mouthpieces so that you can close your mouth completely when the mouthpieces are in your mouth.

Making your Dental Impressions for ProLab Professional Lab-created Bleaching Trays - With the Professional (ProLab Mouthpiece) Kits, you will need to make your dental impressions from the included professional impression materials. These impressions are then sent to our dental lab so that we can create your professional quality mouthpieces. Be sure to mix the two types of impression putty together very thoroughly so that it will harden properly after you have imprinted your teeth into it. After mixing the putty together and placing it into the impression tray, bite down on the tray so that your teeth are completely submerged into the impression putty such that about 1/4 of an inch of your gums is included in the impressions. Also when biting down, make sure that your teeth do not scrape down the side of the plastic tray that hold the impression putty. Your teeth should be completely surrounded by impression putty on all sides. Keep your teeth embedded in the impression putty for 3 minutes to allow putty to begin to harden. Do not remove the putty from the tray as you will be mailing the tray with putty to our lab.

Dental Whitening Gel Usage: Whitening gel is placed around the inside, front of the mouthpiece. There is no need for the whitening gel to come in contact with the back side of your teeth since they are not visible to others. Place the mouthpiece over your teeth. You will notice that the whitening gel squeezes so that full coverage of all teeth is attained. There may be some additional gel that overflows out of the mouthpiece into your mouth. Simply discard this overflow gel by spitting it out. You should wear the mouthpiece for 1 to 3 hours per whitening session. You may decrease your weartime or frequency of use if you experience sensitivities, although your whitening gel will stay active for up to 4 hours. Some people report watering of the mouth when whitening their teeth. This is a normal reaction and tends to diminish as time goes on. You will need to wear your mouthpieces for a total of 20 - 40 cumulative hours to complete the process. These cumulative hours of weartime can be completed in consecutive days or you may skip days if you like. It will not matter so long as you complete your 20 - 40 cumulative hours. After completion of each whitening session, wash your mouthpieces with water and store in a dry place. Be sure to keep your whitening gel refrigerated when not in use. There are several things you can do to make your dental whitening activities more effective and pleasurable. Take the time to read the below tips to make your dental whitening experience as easy and effective as possible.

A Time and Place for Dental Whitening - A great place to whiten your teeth is in the shower or bath. Just keep your Whitening System in the shower and use it as a routine part of your morning or evening hygiene. The shower is a great place to use your dental bleaching system because you can easily discard any extra whitening gel that squeezes out of your bleaching trays into your mouth without running over to your sink. Also, you are busy doing your other shower activities so you really don’t even notice the mouthpieces in your mouth. When you are done with your shower, you can remove your trays and leave them in the shower or you can continue to wear them for a few more minutes outside the shower (all overflow gel will already be out of your mouth).

Brushing Your Teeth - It is advantageous to brush your teeth in conjunction with using the dental bleaching system. It is good to brush your teeth immediately before each application to remove any large food particles from your teeth so that the whitening gel can contact the hardened staining material on your teeth instead of the softer food particles that may adhere to your teeth on a daily basis.

Time Frames for Dental Whitening - The best way to whiten your teeth is gradually. Don’t knock yourself out by wearing your mouthpieces for hours at a time and trying to force your whitening process too quickly. It is better to work the whitening process into your daily or weekly routine (perhaps during your shower or bath) for as long as it takes for you to achieve your desired level of whitening. It took many years to build up the staining on your teeth. It’s perfectly alright to take several weeks to remove the staining. You will not loose any whitening effect by waiting several days between treatments. Some people can see significant whitening results in after the first application and others may take several hours of bleaching to see results.

Gum or Tooth Sensitivities - If your teeth or gums are exceptionally sensitive to dental whitening gel, do not be alarmed. This is a normal reaction that means the dental bleaching formula is working. Any sensitivities will most likely diminish as you continue to use your whitening gel. Our bleaching gel contains no desensitizing agents so that you can detect any sensitivity reactions if existent. If you do detect sensitivities to the whitening process, you can do a couple of things. First, simply reduce the amount of time of your dental whitening session (perhaps to 10-15 minutes). Shorter duration of whitening sessions over a longer period of time will work just fine. Secondly, try using a smaller amount of whitening gel inside your mouthpiece. The trick is to use enough gel to cover your teeth with a thin layer of gel without squeezing it out into your mouth. This should help any sensitivity reactions to the whitening process.

Excessive Salivation (Watering of the Mouth) - Some people experience excessive salivation when using a dental whitening system. This is a normal reaction that will gradually disappear as your mouth becomes accustomed to the whitening process. The best thing to do for this reaction is to conduct your dental whitening in a place (like the shower) where you can discard the saliva accumulating in your mouth.

Swallowing the Dental Whitening Gel - Every time you use your dental bleaching system you will inevitably swallow a small amount of whitening gel. This is normal and except for the taste, there are no hazards for most people who swallow small amounts of gel. If you (or especially a child) swallows more whitening gel than used for one dental whitening treatment (.5ml - 3ml), you may or may not experience any side-effects, but it would be wise to contact a medical professional or Center for Poison Control to be on the safe side. Please keep the whitening gel out of reach of children.

Upper Teeth vs. Lower Teeth - You don’t need to whiten your upper teeth and lower teeth at the same time, although you can if you wish. It will be easier for you to manage the whitening process for one set of teeth at a time. As well, this is an excellent way to show the efficacy of your dental bleaching system. Try whitening your upper teeth for 7-14 sessions and notice the color difference between your upper teeth and lower teeth. Upon reaching your desired level of whitening for your upper teeth, it will be time for you to do the same to your lower teeth.

Flossing Your Teeth - It helps the whitening process to floss your teeth regularly, but do not floss your teeth immediately before each application. Flossing may sometimes irritate the area of gums between your teeth. For sensitive individuals, it is usually not a good idea to apply the whitening gel to an area that has just been irritated by flossing. Do your flossing on a regular basis, but not immediately before using your dental bleaching system.

There are a variety of at-home dental whitening products on the market which contain the approved ingredients and methodology needed to obtain effective results.