My daughter is in the middle of Invisalign treatment and now she wants to whiten her teeth. Her dentist does whitening and when he showed us the trays, they look almost identical to her Invisalign ones. My plan is to save a little bit of money by ordering the whitening gel online and just have her use her Invisalign trays – assuming they are made of the same material and they won’t get damaged. I figure worst case scenario, she can grab an old set of aligners. Anything else we should consider before doing this? — Shelby
Shelby,
First of all, Invisalign aligners and whitening trays are not the same; however, with that said, the bleaching gel will not hurt your Invisalign trays.
But before you consider whitening for your daughter, it’s best to make sure she is a candidate for it. Does she have fillings that can be seen when she smiles? If so, keep in mind they will not change color. Also, there are some stains that don’t respond to whitening treatments as well, and can even make some markings on her teeth stand out even more. Be sure to consult with her dentist before starting any treatment.
If you order the gel online, be sure you know exactly where it’s coming from. Even the most reputable company that makes whitening gel in strips or a paste often don’t have as strong of a formula as the dentist. You have to be sure it’s the real deal and not something that proves ineffective or damages her teeth. You just need to be very cautious regardless of whether or not there are great reviews. You have no idea if it has been tested, if it’s safe, or if it even works.
Bottom line: she’s probably fine to use her Invisalign aligners for bleaching, but check with her dentist first to make sure there are no other problems.
This blog post is brought to you by Des Moines cosmetic dentist, Dr. Phelan Thomas. For more information on the services he provides, please visit his Des Moines cosmetic dentist website.