From the beginning of time, man has looked at ways to clean his teeth. To begin with, the toothbrush was a frayed end stick which was used to brush off particles stuck after meals. This moved on to shortened sticks with hog hair stuck at one end, taking the first resemblance of the modern toothbrush. From that point on, synthetic materials took over and the modern designs we use today came into being. Along with the toothbrush came the development of supplementary items such as toothpaste, gels, floss, and the like. While these items were more for the maintenance of clean and beautiful teeth, the concept of teeth whitening is also nothing new, and the beginnings of the products for teeth whitening at home we know today date back more than a century and a half.

Today's procedures can be traced to the middle of the 1800s when a dentist developed a process that applied acid and chlorinated lime to the chamber and pulp of the tooth. This process loosened and dissolved hardened food particles that stained tooth enamel. From then on, the concept of teeth whitening has grown in popularity, and developments have led to the products and kits that we now use for teeth whitening at home.

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The growing popularity of teeth whitening processes has resulted in more than a three-fold increase in cosmetic dental treatment over the past five years. And the number of do-it-yourself home treatments has been even more staggering. The number of products produced by manufacturing companies that focus mainly on teeth whitening has become a big part of the industry. The increase in demand has meant significant advances in the number, quality, and effectiveness of home treatments.

Teeth whitening at home treatments come in the form of gels, foams, mousse, rinses, toothpaste, and even tools such as specially crafted toothbrushes with whitening agent LED activating technology. The main ingredient found to be safe and effective for whitening is hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. To undertake a process such as oxidation; this active ingredient basically turns into water and oxygen, which then "scrubs" the surface of the tooth, loosening the tight grip of hardened stain-causing particles and flushing them away.

It's most common to apply the bleaching agent and to use well-fitting trays to keep the gel in constant contact with the teeth for about 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the product and its concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the formulation. Some teeth whitening products for use at home provide strips rather than trays, which is also effective, but what's important is that the tooth surface is constantly exposed to the bleaching agent for the duration of the daily treatment. It should also prevent saliva from washing away the gel.

Although the results of teeth whitening procedures may vary, mostly the factors that determine the time frame needed are the product itself, the regularity of the application, the condition of the teeth prior to treatment, and finally the dental hygiene or daily cleaning habits of the person taking the treatment.