Vital tooth whitening with a novel hydrogen peroxide strip system: design, kinetics, and clinical response.

For many years, at-home whitening has been used with great success and produces some of the most satisfying results of all dental procedures. Historically, the most common procedure used was a custom-fabricated tray loaded with a 10% carbamide peroxide gel that was worn overnight. Today, many manufacturers offer higher concentrations (15% and 20% carbamide peroxide) for faster results. Regardless of the peroxide concentration used, the custom tray delivery system has remained essentially the same. Recently, a trayless whitening system was developed that does not require any prefabrication or gel loading. The new delivery system is a thin, conformable strip precoated with an adhesive hydrogen peroxide gel. Each preloaded strip is presented on a backing liner. To use the strip, it is peeled off of the backing liner and applied to the facial surfaces of the anterior teeth. Each strip is worn for 30 minutes, removed, and discarded. The strip holds the gel in place for sufficient time to allow the peroxide to intrinsically and extrinsically whiten the teeth. The highly flexible strips conform intimately to the tooth surface and provide a uniform, controlled application of the peroxide gel.