Table of Contents
Rinsing and brushing your mouth are important practices but knowing when to use whitening strips is also very important. They’re some of the top secrets to getting the most out of these whitening products. Therefore, you need to have a good mouthwash and toothpaste by your side.
Unfortunately, most people don’t know how to use the above three oral care products correctly. And this makes it hard for them to get brighter smiles. They simply decide to ignore the directions of use. Or sometimes the manufacturer gives the wrong instructions.
So, when is the right time to use your toothpaste or mouthwash when undergoing whitening strips treatment?
After reading the following post from, you’ll get to learn how to use whitening strips correctly and achieve the mega smile you only experience in your dreams.
Am assuming you have your pack of whitening strips, toothpaste, and mouth rinse with you…
Let’s go:
When To Use Whitening Strips: Before Or After Brushing Teeth?
You need toothpaste to brush your teeth. But when is the right time to brush when you’re using whitening strips as well? There are two ways you can do this. You can opt to clean your teeth before or after putting on the whitening strips.
I’ll explain to you how to do each of them.
Brushing Before
The primary goal of brushing your teeth before placing the whitening strips is to remove plaque or food particles that might hinder the penetration of the whitening agent. You don’t necessarily have to use toothpaste in this step. You can just use a virgin toothbrush to help remove these particles so that the whitening agent gets into proper contact with your teeth for the best teeth whitening experience.
Still, you can use toothpaste to remove the plaque and food particles before putting on the whitening strips. When you do this, make sure you wait for up to 30 minutes before placing the strips.
Brushing After
Most dentists recommend you to brush your teeth right after removing the whitening strips. They urge that if you use the whitening strips right before applying the strips, fluoride in the paste might settle on your teeth surface and block peroxide (the whitening agent) from getting in.
Brushing right after removing the whitening strips help remove peroxide deposits on your teeth and gums. If left unattended to, these deposits will cause your gums to swell and increase the sensitivity of your teeth. This costs you a lot of pain.
When To Use Whitening Strips: Before Or After Mouthwash?
If you want to use mouthwash alongside the teeth whitening strips, here’s how to do it:
It’s highly advisable to use the mouth rinse after every whitening strip treatment. Immediately you peel the strips away from your teeth, go ahead and thoroughly rise with a good mouthwash for around 30 seconds before spitting it.
This helps get rid of the excess whitening agent that might have been deposited on your teeth during the treatment. If you don’t get rid of the excess whitener, you’re likely to suffer from sore gums which cause you a lot of pain. Not forgetting the increased teeth sensitivity when taking hot or cold foods.
Extra tips to getting the most out of whitening strips:
- Thoroughly swish the mouthwash around your mouth for around 30 seconds before spitting it out to remove all the peroxide deposits
- Using a whitening mouthwash and toothpaste in addition to your whitening strips will help improve the whitening results apart from helping you remove particles and excess whiteners
- Observe the above brushing/rinsing routine as you continue using your whitening strips treatment
- Avoid fluoride toothpaste as much as you can as it settles on your teeth surface inhibiting peroxide from whitening them
Final Thoughts
When used well, a good mouth rinse or toothpaste can help maintain your oral health as you embark on whitening your teeth with whitening strips. In addition to removing the peroxide deposits, the mouthwash helps kills harmful oral bacteria. Brushing done before placing the whitening strips enables the whitening strip to work well by eradicating food particles and plaque. Brushing after removing the strips helps remove whitener deposits, prevent an increase in teeth sensitivity, and swelling of gums. So we hope that you are now a little better informed about when to using whitening strips.
