Composition and methods include a dental bleaching agent, potassium nitrate a fluoride salt for enhanced whitening and reduced tooth sensitivity. The potassium nitrate and fluoride salt both reduce or eliminate tooth sensitivity that may otherwise be caused by the bleaching agent. For prolonged treatment of teeth, lower quantities of potassium nitrate (e.g., 0.5%) have actually been found to work better than larger quantities (e.g., 3%). The dental compositions may be applied directly to the persons teeth, or they may be loaded into a comfortable fitting, flexible, thin-walled dental tray and placed over the persons teeth. In that case, the dental compositions will include a tackifying agent, such as carboxypolymethylene, which assists the composition in retaining the dental tray over the persons teeth as a result of the adhesive properties of the dental composition rather than due to mechanical interlocking of the tray over the persons teeth. The dental compositions may further include anticariogenic and antimicrobial agents.
