What is Hydrogen Peroxide?

Hydrogen peroxide is the active ingredient in many professional teeth whitening gels. It is the most commonly used whitening gel for professional in-office teeth whitening. Hydrogen peroxide is about 3 times as potent as carbamide peroxide. For at-home teeth whitening the most commonly sold concentrations sold are 6%, 9% and 12%. Because of its potency 9% hydrogen peroxide gels have the same strength as 22% carbamide peroxide gels.

When compared to Carbamide peroxide, Hydrogen peroxide gels are faster acting thus requiring short treatment times. Hydrogen peroxide is relatively unstable and therefore it is difficult to store and ship. That is why hydrogen peroxide is rarely used for at-home teeth whitening purposes.

Dentists often use extremely strong whitening gels (35% hydrogen peroxide or more) to speed up the whitening process. These gels are highly potent and cannot be applied in a home setting.