I have been doing teeth whitening for a week and it is making my jaw ache. I read about this Tanda Pearl system that means people can whiten their teeth in just five minutes. I was thinking that would be much easier on my jaw. Do you know if this a safe option?
Kallie
Dear Kallie,
Looking at this, it seems their teeth whitening ingredient is valid. It is similar to other take-home kits. It uses a peroxide gel that sits in a tray in order to penetrate your teeth. There are some disadvantages, though, that you need to be aware of before making a decision.
The Tanda Trays
First, the tray. The whitening that your dentist provided for you should have come with custom-fitted trays. If he didn’t fit them properly, that may explain why they are causing your jaw to ache. When your teeth whitening trays fit properly, they shouldn’t really be that noticeable. The benefit is they completely cover your teeth and seal the gel in properly.
The trays that come with The Tanda Pearl system have some distinct disadvantages. First, they are more DIY, which means they will not keep in the gel as well. It will also allow more saliva in, which weakens your gel’s effectiveness.
There is a bigger issue, though. The trays your dentist provided has a separate tray for each arch. The Tanda system uses a single tray that you will have to bite down on in order to keep it in your mouth. Even at five minutes at a time, that will make your jaw hurt significantly more because of the pressure on it to keep the tray in place.
The Time Requirement
They are suggesting you wear their whitening kit for five minutes at a time. That is more likely because of the muscle pressure of biting down on the tray they provide, rather than the strength of their gel.
However, in order for the gel to be effective, it really needs to stay on your teeth for 15 – 20 minutes. The longer the better. However, if your jaw is aching, you can wear them for shorter periods of time.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.