Before the days of easily accessible at home teeth whitening solutions, there were dental teeth whitening trays - a custom-shaped, tooth bleaching tray that was only available at your dentist's office. While the dentist created at home trays were an easy and popular way to whiten your teeth at your leisure, eventually manufacturers like Crest and AquaFresh took notice. Before long, an over the counter, at home teeth whitening tray was introduced. These became one of the easiest and most effective ways to get a brighter, whiter and more dazzling smile in the comfort of your own home, and at a fraction of the cost of a traditional dental whitening tray.

There are three primary types of teeth whitening trays currently available on the market. The first is a completely disposable tray which is made of fairly flimsy material that holds the teeth whitening gel, but is only meant for one time use. The benefit to these types of trays is that the teeth bleaching gel comes pre-inserted, so you don't have to deal with any messy tubes of whitening solution, and you know that you are always getting an exact and consistent amount of gel every time. The disadvantage is that this type of teeth whitening tray is not molded or fitted in any way, so it can be difficult to keep them in place. They also may not fit correctly inside your mouth depending on your tooth structure, and they may have the tendency to move around quite a bit while in use.

Another option is the non-disposable teeth whitening tray, which is typically made of a rubber-like material that conforms to your mouth much better and more uniformly than the disposable tray. These trays are usually packaged with teeth whitening gel which must be inserted on the top and bottom of the tray before it is placed into your mouth. The benefit is that these whitening trays are usually bigger and wider, making them easier to fit to your teeth - which in turn helps the teeth whitening gel to stay in place and do its job. However, the downside is that you have to personally insert the gel into the tray before each use, then clean the tray afterward. You'll also need to repurchase the gel and possibly replace the tray after some time as it gets stretched out from use.

A custom fitted teeth whitening tray is the ideal solution, and can be purchased directly from your dentist. It is also the most expensive (though effective) type of tray available. A unique new hybrid solution is called a thermoforming whitening tray. These trays work by being soaked in warm water, which makes the malleable. You then press the tray onto your teeth, and when it hardens it is removed and washed in cold water. The great benefit of a thermoforming whitening tray is that it is more closely modeled to your teeth like a custom dental tray - however it's less expensive and can be used with your choice of bleaching and teeth whitening gels. One downside however is that these trays tend to leak more gel, so you'll need to hold the tray firmly in your mouth when it is in use.

No matter which of the whitening trays you decide to use, its widely considered to be one of the best cheap teeth whitening methods available, and is certainly more convenient than at home teeth whitening remedies such as hydrogen peroxide teeth whitening. So visit your local drugstore and see which teeth whitening trays are available to you!