Whitening your teeth

Clear aligners move teeth; whitening changes their color and is a separate treatment. The main methods are in-office bleaching, custom trays from a dentist for use at home, and over-the-counter strips and toothpastes. Have your teeth examined first: the cause of the discoloration decides which method can work, and if you are in aligners or planning bonding or veneers, the order of treatments matters too.

The American Dental Association says whitening can affect both surface stains and stains inside the tooth. Only natural teeth respond. Crowns, veneers, and tooth-colored fillings stay the color they are. If some of your teeth are restored and others are not, bleaching can make that difference more obvious.

Before you start

The ADA's policy is to consult a licensed dentist before whitening. An exam, with X-rays where needed, can find decay or gum disease that should be treated first, and shows what is causing the discoloration. That decides the technique:

• Surface stains from coffee, tea or smoking often lift with a professional cleaning or a whitening toothpaste.
• Stains inside the tooth need bleaching, and some respond better than others. Brown marks from fluorosis or tetracycline may respond better than white marks from fluorosis or from earlier orthodontic treatment, although white marks can look less noticeable as the rest of the tooth lightens. Tetracycline stains can take months of nightly treatment.
• A single tooth that has darkened because its nerve has died does not respond well to bleaching from the outside. A dentist can bleach it from the inside instead, a technique called internal bleaching.

The methods compared

Prices were checked on October 22, 2026 and are examples, not averages. The IRS lists whitening as a cosmetic expense that does not qualify for HSA or FSA funds.

Dentist-supplied products are classed as professional products and are not eligible for the ADA Seal of Acceptance. For over-the-counter bleaching products, the ADA suggests discussing options with your dentist and looking for the Seal on the package; Crest lists specific Whitestrips versions as ADA-accepted. Stain-removal toothpastes with the Seal remove surface stain, but MouthHealthy says they do not change the color of the tooth.

Sensitivity and expectations

Temporary sensitivity and sore gums are the most common side effects. With strips or trays, sensitivity may start two to three days into treatment and usually resolves by the fourth day after it ends. Higher concentrations make it more likely. MouthHealthy suggests you can pause treatment and try again, and warns that overuse can damage enamel or gums. Sensitivity is more of a concern if your teeth are already tender from a new aligner. Charcoal, fruit, vinegar, and oil pulling are household ideas with a different evidence base. The American Dental Association says it has not found evidence that charcoal whitens teeth safely, and that some charcoal mixtures have been abrasive enough to wear enamel.

Who may provide whitening

The American Dental Association's 2008 policy urges state dental societies to seek laws or regulations treating whitening by non-dentists as the unlicensed practice of dentistry, apart from self-application. That is a professional position. What is legal where you live is set by your state's dental practice act and dental board, and it varies.

While you are in aligners

Ask the dentist responsible for both treatments before you put a whitening gel into orthodontic aligners. Those trays are shaped to move teeth. A whitening tray is made to keep gel on the enamel and off the gums.

Attachments are tooth-colored bumps bonded to some teeth so the tray can grip. Gel lightens enamel more readily than it lightens the composite of an attachment. So whether to whiten while the attachments are on, or after they come off, is part of the treatment order your dentist plans. A single case report found that enamel under an attachment can still lighten, but that is one case. How moving teeth differs from covering them is in aligners, veneers, and bonding.

A foam, pen, or strip included with an aligner plan is that company's add-on. Have the teeth examined before you treat that add-on as your whitening plan.

After the aligners

If you are also having bonding or veneers, the dentist planning both jobs should set the order. Research cited by the American Dental Association suggests that bleaching can change the enamel surface and reduce how well later composite or ceramic sticks. If you bleach after a veneer is fitted, the natural teeth can change and the veneer keeps the color it was made in. One possible order is to finish moving the teeth, then whiten, then match a new facing. A dentist may choose that order for one patient and a different order for another.

The American Dental Association's whitening policy also says impressions for appliances used with whitening products should be taken by a licensed dentist or a supervised dental auxiliary, in compliance with state law. That is the step a mail-order whitening tray asks you to do yourself.