PAP Teeth Whitening: Lighten Your Tooth Color Without Peroxide

If you are considering whitening your teeth and checking out all your options, you may have come across PAP teeth whitening. Hydrogen peroxide is widely used as the main ingredient in teeth whitening treatments, but PAP is becoming steadily more popular.

However, as it is relatively new, not many dentists use it and some people haven’t even heard of it yet.

This article will discuss all you need to know about PAP teeth whitening and answer the following questions, so you can decide if it's the method you want to use.

• What is PAP teeth whitening? 
• How does it work?
• What is the difference between PAP and PAP+?
• Is it as effective as hydrogen peroxide-based products? 
• What are the best PAP teeth whitening products?

Or if you just want some quick PAP teeth whitening product recommendations, check out the following options. We have more information on each of these later on.

There are a lot of benefits to using PAP teeth whitening products, especially if you don't want a product with peroxide as the main ingredient. So let's start with finding out exactly what PAP is and how it works to whiten your teeth. 

What is PAP+?

PAP+ is a teeth-whitening formula created by Hismile. It contains Pthalimidoperoxycaproic Acid (PAP), hydroxyapatite, and potassium citrate. PAP is a whitening agent proven to be a safe peroxide alternative.

Nano-hydroxyapatite and potassium citrate work to strengthen and protect the tooth's enamel and reduce preexisting sensitivity while protecting from any future tooth sensitivity.

What is PAP teeth whitening? 

PAP, the abbreviation for phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid, is the main whitening ingredient in some whitening products. Brands like Hismile use PAP as the main ingredient in their whitening products. These include whitening kits, strips, and mouthwash. 

It is a non-peroxide whitening agent that has been clinically proven to be just as effective as hydrogen peroxide when it comes to whitening teeth.  

PAP isn’t as widely used as peroxides due to the fact that it is a relatively new concept. More recently though, some companies have created a safe and effective formula to use in their whitening products that are gaining in popularity. 

How does PAP teeth whitening work? 

PAP is an alternative ingredient to hydrogen peroxide for whitening teeth, and shares both similarities and differences in how it goes about whitening teeth. Let's go over how whitening works.

There are two types of whitening: physical and chemical. Physical whitening is the removal of stains on the surface of your teeth through abrasion, and chemical whitening bleaches your teeth on the surface and removes stains embedded slightly deeper. 

There are three main ingredients that can be used in chemical teeth whitening:

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Carbamide peroxide
• Phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP) 

Each of these ingredients whitens teeth by oxidizing stains and lightening the overall tooth color. They work by entering through the enamel layer and altering and breaking down the molecules that hold color. The smaller the molecule the lighter the color. 

The difference between these whitening ingredients is that when peroxides get to work they release free radicals that can damage your teeth and gum tissue. PAP does not release free radicals when it oxidizes stains, making it much safer for you to use to whiten your teeth. 

In the following video, Professor Laurie Walsh explains the science behind PAP teeth whitening:

What is the difference between PAP and PAP+?

Hismile uses phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP) whitening, but you may have noticed that Hismile refers to their whitening formula as PAP+. So how does this differ from PAP?

The + in Hismile's PAP+ formula actually refers to the ingredient nano-hydroxyapatite (Nano-HAp). Hismile includes the ingredient hydroxyapatite (HAp), a naturally occurring form of calcium apatite found in bones, saliva, and teeth. HAp helps to remineralize teeth by replacing minerals and strengthening weakened enamel.

Hismile uses a nano-synthetic version that works slightly better because the particles are smaller, and can therefore fill in more damaged areas of enamel. Nano-HAp has been proven to remineralize enamel, specifically initial lesions, at a higher rate than fluoride. 

Hismile’s PAP+ formula also includes potassium citrate to help with any pre-existing sensitivity you may have prior to whitening your teeth.

So, in short, a PAP+ formula is no more effective at whitening teeth, but it should do a better job of remineralizing enamel.

What are the best PAP teeth whitening products? 

Hismile is one of the most well-known brands that have PAP teeth whitening products available. Our top picks are their whitening kits, but Hismile has a whole range of PAP+ whitening products. You can choose from whitening strips, powder, toothpaste, and mouthwash. 

Hismile PAP+ Whitening Strips 

These whitening strips work just like other types of whitening strips, except they use Hismile’s PAP+ formula. This means that you get the same remineralizing and desensitizing benefits as you do when you use the whitening kit. 

Although you won’t get quite the same results as you do when using the whitening kit, they are a quick and convenient way to whiten your teeth on the go. 

Unlike other types of strips, you won’t have to suffer through sensitive teeth after you have used them, and your teeth may even feel less sensitive after whitening! 

Hismile PAP+ Whitening Powder 

Hismile’s Whitening Powder is one of their newer whitening products to become available. It includes all of the benefits of their PAP+ whitening formula in powder form. All you have to do is apply your regular toothpaste to your toothbrush and dip it in the whitening powder. 

Then just brush your teeth, as you normally would. The whitening powder turns your regular toothpaste into a whitening toothpaste without you having to change from your favorite brand of toothpaste. 

MySmile teeth whitening kit

If you're looking for a whitening kit that you can get on Amazon, you may want to consider MySmile.

The MySmile teeth whitening kit comes with teeth whitening gel pens and an LED mouthpiece. Treatment takes just 10 minutes per day, with customers seeing teeth 2 shades whiter after the first application.

Because PAP is the main whitening ingredient, the whitening gel is safe for sensitive teeth.

Unfortunately, reviews are a bit mixed, with some customers saying they've noticed great results after just a few treatments and others deeming it a waste of money. If you'd like to find out for yourself, you can get MySmile on Amazon now.

Conclusion

PAP teeth whitening is a safe and effective way to whiten your teeth without causing the damage that you sometimes get with peroxide products. 

Smile Avenue and Hismile both have whitening kits that use phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP) as the main ingredient. They also include other ingredients to help remineralize, desensitize and strengthen your teeth. Hismile has a full range of PAP+ whitening products, including strips, powder, toothpaste, and more! You can also get the Hismile V34 Color Corrector serum for instantly whiter teeth.

The PAP+ formula is slightly different from PAP because it includes the ingredient nano-hydroxyapatite. This is a nano-synthetic version that has smaller particles to help remineralize your teeth enamel more effectively. 

Our top recommendation for PAP teeth whitening is Hismile's full range of PAP+ whitening products.

FAQs

Is PAP teeth whitening FDA approved?

No, phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid is not approved by the FDA, but that's because the FDA doesn't provide official approval for teeth whitening products or other cosmetics. Teeth whitening brands can register their products with the FDA.