What to Do when Gums Peel and Blister After Teeth Whiting

When teeth whitening products get on your gums, they turn white and the surface sloughs off.  Although not pleasant to look at, it is a minor form of damage that often heals in less than a day.  Most teeth whiteners are a form of peroxide.  When you place peroxide on your skin to clean a cut, the surface turns white.  The speed and severity of this white effect is dependent on the strength of the peroxide.  

When having professional whitening in the dental office, customized trays and special materials are used to protect the gums from this effect.  The control the application of the peroxide to tooth surface only.  Over the counter whitening products use a one-size-fits-all approach and so the peroxide product more frequently reach the gum surface.

When using whitening strips, be sure to apply them only to the tooth surface leaving a little space above the gums.  When using trays, place only enough whitening gel to coat the surfaces of the teeth without squeezing out onto the gums.  These tricks will help avoid this kind of minor damage.

Thank you a your great question. Unfortunately a lot of over the counter whitening systems leak and damage the gums and make it uncomfortable for the patient.
The good news is everything should heal up and discomfort should disappear. It might take some time.
The best thing to do in the future is to see a professional well trained in the field to get the best results with a minimum discomfort.

You have experienced this big inconvenience because of possible 2 reasons. One - your tray that you have used did not fit your teeth perfectly and allowed bleaching gel to leak. Second - the bleaching gel was too strong for your gums. It could have been avoided if you would receive professional in-office bleaching treatment or used specially for you prescribed "take home" bleaching kit. Sorry to hear about your pain, but I can assure you it is just a temporary inconvenience, your gums will recover.

Even though you are frightened, your  gums are not damaged.  They have been exposed to the bleach and are burned and blistered.  They will heal and be fine and you will have no permanent damage.  To aid in healing we recommend you apply vitamin E  to them,   Make sure the next time you use bleach at home or in a dental office, the bleaching trays  fit well over the teeth and your gums are protected from blistering. I am so sorry this happened to you because it is not only painful but frightening!  You will be fine!

I am so sorry that you are experiencing this-it can be quite scary!  Whether you are using a home whitening product or a kit that was dispensed from your dentist, you were right to stop.  Go see your dentist either way to have your gums evaluated and in the meantime, Vitamin E gel will soothe the areas.  Avoid spicy, acidic or hot foods and liquids.  Most gum irritations heal on their own within 10-14 days. 

One of the reasons that whitening at the Professional Dental Office is successful is because we have control of the Whitening solution.  It still can happen at the dental office but we have a gel to paint on your gums for healing.  Using store bought whitening can be a gamble and can be one of the down sides of not being treated by  a professional.

-If you find that your gums are white and blistering, stop bleaching.

-Do Not panic.  Gums will repair.

-Get custom trays so whitening stays where it is supposed to be placed.

-Talk to your dentist and see if they have a gel to aid in healing.

So sorry you are experiencing an issue on your gums from Whitening. You did not mention, if you are treating yourself or have the help of a professional. It is very important to understand and use the directions precisely. Some people (on the far end of the bell curve) will react more than the majority. Vitamen E is a good remedy for the reaction you describe. 

While it may seem pretty scary at first, the gums WILL repair.  Buy some Vitamin E gel capsules and cut open, then place the gel on the affected area and you should be fine.

If that doesn't help, seek help from your dentist.

The whitening process was discovered when gum specialists (periodontists) were treating the gums with trays filled with these whitening gels.  If they were used to TREAT gum disease, then they can't be ALL bad...