Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of short-time home bleaching using a custom tray and a bleaching agent containing 15% carbamide peroxide. Methods: Six subjects who had slightly discolored teeth were used. The six anterior teeth of the upper jaw were bleached. Prior to starting bleaching, the surface of each tooth was polished. The subjects wore the bleaching trays daily for a one-hour interval for a two-week period. The color of precisely identified sites on six anterior teeth was measured.The teeth colors of subjects were observed up to 12 weeks after bleaching, and finally the surface of each tooth was polished again. The color differences between baseline and each step were determined. The measured color values and color differences of the different types of teeth were evaluated using Bonferroni's multiple comparison test. Results: The measurement revealed that tooth color shows a visible change after bleaching. The mean color differences between baseline and after one week of bleaching ranged from 4.0 to 5.5. The color differences decreased 12 weeks after bleaching, however, the color differences tended to recover after surface polishing. The color differences of the canines between baseline and after second polishing were greater than that of the central incisors (p<0.05). Conclusions: It was concluded that a sufficient bleaching effect on slightly discolored teeth could be achieved by a short amount of bleaching time if a bleaching agent containing 15% carbamide peroxide was used, and that this technique was clinically effective.

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