Paint-on whitening products can offer some advantages that other teeth whitening techniques cannot.
Since paint-on whitening products are simply an extension of peroxide-based teeth whitening technique a person can expect that they may experience the same types of side effects (sensitivity and irritation) that are common place with other bleaching systems. Published data evaluating the side effects of paint-on teeth whitening products seem to confirm this. They report that minor gum irritation and transient tooth sensitivity are this technique's chief side effects. As with other peroxide-based teeth whitening techniques, usually these side effects are not profound enough to interfere with a person's bleaching activities and they normally dissipate within days after the bleaching process has been completed.
Our peroxide-based teeth whitener side effects pages describe some of the common complications encountered with peroxide-based teeth whitening agents and solutions for them. Essentially all of the information found on these pages is derived from studies evaluating tray-based whitening technique utilizing 10% carbamide peroxide (which is equivalent to 3.5% hydrogen peroxide). Since each of the paint-on teeth whiteners we discuss on our pages (Colgate Simply White ®, Colgate Simply White Night ®, and Crest Night Effects ®) each utilize a higher peroxide concentration than this one might anticipate that the incidence side effects could be greater (our own conjecture).
Colgate Simply White and Colgate Simply White Night are registered trademarks of the Colgate-Palmolive Company.
Crest Night Effects is a registered trademark of the Proctor & Gamble Company.
In comparison to tray-based at-home teeth whitening utilizing 10% carbamide peroxide (which delivers a 3.5% concentration of hydrogen peroxide) there is relatively little published research about the specific effects of paint-on teeth whitening products on teeth. The peroxide compounds utilized by the various paint-on whitening products we've mentioned on our pages (Colgate Simply White ®, Colgate Simply White Night ®, and Crest Night Effects ®) each deliver a hydrogen peroxide equivalent greater than 3.5%. All we can offer is that you read the
peroxide whiteners safety information we have available for 10% carbamide peroxide and then formulate your own comparisons and conclusions.
We can state that a reference we found to a study that evaluated the safety of Colgate Simply White ® (18% carbamide peroxide, equivalent to 6.3% hydrogen peroxide) found no evidence that it produced detrimental effects on tooth enamel (produced no mineral loss, created no surface roughness).
As variant of peroxide-based teeth whitening technique the safety concerns that exist with paint-on products would be similar in nature as with other peroxide-based whitening systems. The most studied of these is tray-based teeth whitening utilizing 10% carbamide peroxide (equivalent to 3.5% hydrogen peroxide) as the bleaching agent.
While the comparisons will not be direct (all paint-on teeth whitening products deliver a hydrogen peroxide equivalent greater than 3.5%) the information found in our discussion about the
safety of 10% carbamide peroxide whitening products might help you draw your own conclusions.
Published data concerning paint-on teeth whitening has shown a negligible amount of peroxide present in saliva after the use of this type of product. Possibly this gives testament to the effectiveness of the
peroxide destroying enzymes found in saliva.