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For most, braces are necessary for improving and straightening our teeth. They help correct teeth overcrowding, adjust overbites and underbites and, as a result, give you a healthier-looking smile. According to Humana, it’s estimated that over four million people in the U.S. wear braces and one-quarter are adults.
However, once your teeth are straightened and braces can finally be removed, there’s a good chance you will notice stains. Or more so, there will be a contrast between areas where your braces were and the rest of your tooth. With your braces entirely removed, you can easily whiten them, either professionally or with an at-home whitening kit.
But what if you want to address the stains and whiten your teeth while your braces are still on? Do you have to remove your braces beforehand? Not necessarily! Here’s how to whiten teeth with braces, whether using traditional metal braces or the more modern removable liners like Invisalign.
That’s where we can help! Below, GO SMILE lists some of the more common methods for whitening teeth when you still have braces.
The Best Whitening Options for Your Braces
Below is a list of the best whitening options for those who wear braces. While not every whitening method may work for your style of teeth straightening device, there’s something for everybody.
Whitening Strips
Whitening strips are one of the most common teeth whitening methods. Typically, each strip contains a bleaching agent or peroxide that essentially lifts the stain off the tooth’s surface. However, after applying it to your teeth twice a day for up to 45 minutes each, it tends to have some adverse side effects, such as gum irritation and tooth sensitivity.
And for those who wear braces, it has another disadvantage. Whitening strips can only be used in combination with clear removable liners or lingual braces. If you have traditional braces, whitening strips will only lighten the exposed areas, missing the enamel under the brackets and bonding, resulting in a mismatched, splotchy look when the braces are finally removed.
Whitening Trays
Whitening trays offer another teeth whitening solution for those who wear braces. However, like whitening strips, trays can also cause some irritation and sensitivity, so you have to choose wisely. That’s where GO SMILE comes in!
GO SMILE’s most popular teeth whitening kit, the BLU Hands-Free Toothbrush & Whitening Device, comes with silicone mouth trays. While many whitening options come with a bleaching gel, GO SMILE uses a sensitivity-free Foaming and Whitening Toothpaste solution, which whitens teeth up to seven shades in seven days. And when you choose a bacteria-killing blue light technology, it accelerates your whitening experience.
The biggest downside to whitening trays is that they are not intended for metal braces and work best with lingual braces or removable aligners.
Sonic Toothbrush
An electric toothbrush is excellent for your teeth and gums overall. Whether you choose to use a tray-like electric toothbrush or a bristled head, it can lift stains through sonic vibrations and a whitening toothpaste or gel. However, if you really want to rid teeth of stains, plaque and germs, a Sonic toothbrush with a built-in blue light device will do the trick!
For metal braces, pick a whitening toothbrush with a bristled head, as the silicone tray may not reach all the nooks and crannies between.
Whitening Toothpaste and Gels
By now, you might be seeing a pattern: Teeth with standard metal braces are the most challenging to whiten.
But as mentioned, GO SMILE’s silicone trays and electric toothbrushes work best in conjunction with whitening toothpastes and gels. And while you may not be able to use a tray, when you use a whitening toothbrush with a teeth whitening gel, it can help you achieve the desired results – a pearly white set of chompers!
Whitening toothpastes are made up of micro-abrasive particles designed to scrub away stains on your teeth’s enamel. And GO SMILE’s Teeth Whitening Gel with Hyperox™ technology assures a sensitivity-free experience that penetrates teeth for a deep whitening. Plus, our teeth whitening gel has been proven to whiten up to 10x better than the leading whitening toothpaste.
The Best Time to Whiten Teeth? Anytime!
While the best time to whiten teeth is after braces are removed, this is not always convenient. There are many reasons you might want to get your teeth a little more healthy-looking, from celebrations to interviews. So if it might be a while before they’re removed, remember: You can whiten them now and then once they are taken off.
