Teeth trays or tooth trays are for used for teeth whitening, a process commonly known as "bleaching" even though no real bleaching agents are used. Unlike other whitening procedures which involve simply application of a gel or an adhesive strip coated with bleaching material, teeth trays cover much more surface of each tooth and increase the chances that the tooth is evenly whitened. A patient may elect to whiten both the upper and lower teeth (called arches), or just a single arch in the face of cost considerations. Although focusing on only one can exacerbate the contrast in whiteness between the lower and upper arches. On the other hand, the procedure for teeth trays is expensive and patients may wish to save some money.
Effects of "bleaching" on dental work
The colloquial term "bleach" actually refers to a peroxide compound that reacts mildly with coloring to reduce them on the surface of the teeth. Before whitening with bleach and tooth trays, you should know the effects on dental work. For enamel work, such as caps, crowns and bridges, there is minimal effect from the whitening agent. This means you may have to expect some color mismatch between your natural teeth and the artificial work. Of course, this mismatch may have already been there prior to whitening. Artificial work in the form of silver or mercury amalgams (mixtures of metals) is affected differently by the peroxide agents: they may become slightly discolored from oxidation, turning darker or becoming tinged.