How Safe is Dental Teeth Whitening?

There is nothing compared to wearing a smile on white shining teeth. The act inspires confidence and draws attention from surroundings. However, everything we eat threatens the flush and appearance of our teeth. With hearsay, you’ve heard the effect of whitening, which will leave you to wonder how safe dental teeth whitening is.

Can Teeth Whitening Hurt Your Teeth?

According to research, the industry was booming and was estimated to contribute a whopping $3.8 billion to the economy. The cosmetic industry has assessed and scrutinized teeth whitening methods for many years.

The American Dental Association (ADA) affirms that there are over-the-counter (OTC), home and office teeth whitening options that are safe and effective in the cosmetic industry. However, there are downsides to teeth whitening, such as:

Gum Irritation

Most whitening options are saturated with hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide. All options recommended by your dentist, either take-home procedure or in-office usage, contain a high level of bleaching agents. The bleach irritates when it touches your gums.

However, the dentist takes the proper procedure to protect your gum from this incident. Each procedure has a protective glove over your teeth. The take-home procedure has the at-home trays; the in-office method uses the protective gel to prevent the bleach from reaching your teeth. However, the irritation only takes a few days to heal.

Tooth Sensitivity

Tooth sensitivity is popular with tooth bleaching. The effect might cause sharp pain when using the teeth. However, after a couple of days, your teeth will adapt.

Effects on Dental Restorations

According to some papers, bleaching the teeth has a side effect on dental restorations. The adverse effect is caused by the ingredients used to make the whitening product. Teeth are affected by dental mixture, the concentration of peroxide in the product, time of application, and other factors. For instance, the peroxide may speed up the mercury content in the product.

However, peroxide concentration is not concentrated enough to cause medical concerns. Additionally, most materials used in forging crowns and implants are resistant to peroxide. If you’re still concerned about your dental restoration and teeth whitening, you can visit your dentist to discuss the best method for you.

Teeth whitening products

There are OTC whitening products available in the market to remove stains on your teeth. These products are different from the options recommended by the dentist as they contain no carbamide peroxide. On the other hand, if your teeth are heavily discolored, these products might not effectively whiten your teeth.

Whitening toothpastes

Whitening toothpaste also lacks carbamide peroxide because it is created to treat the surface of the teeth by using abrasive and blue covarine, a chemical. This procedure will make your teeth whiter after prolonged usage.

Whitening strips

The whitening strip has a small concentration of hydrogen peroxide, which is a bleaching agent. The product can be gotten over-the-counter. You can use the product once or twice a day for some specific time, as pointed out by the producer. Whitening strips come in different products with different concentration levels of bleaching agents.

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