A WARNING FROM YOUR DENTIST: HOME TEETH WHITENING

9th May 2019

A WARNING FROM YOUR DENTIST: HOME TEETH WHITENING

As your faithful dentist in Stoke on Trent, we want to warn you against the popular habits and home treatments that could actually be damaging your teeth. For example, home teeth whitening products may claim to brighten your smile, and its true that whiter teeth do appear healthier, but actually you could be doing more damage than you think. This is what your dentist wants you to know about home teeth whitening, which products are potentially harmful, and which will not cause you sensitivity.

Home teeth whitening – is it safe?

One popular method of home teeth whitening is using charcoal toothpaste. It has become one of the most popular, non-prescriptive methods available to order online and is even being promoted to young people through social media influencers. While activated charcoal does, admittedly, have some whitening benefits, it’s how you use this product that could harm your teeth. Because you’re literally brushing charcoal onto your teeth, the paste can be gritty and coarse. This means the chunks of charcoal can wear down and chip away at your enamel, which is essential to protecting the lower layers of your teeth. Over long-term use, this can cause tooth wear and tear and increased sensitivity. Also, how frequently you use it could damage your teeth. With it being a toothpaste, you’d assume you could use it every day if not twice a day, right? Well, most manufacturers recommend only 2-3 times a week, and only once on these days. This isn’t always clear, as it has been modelled after a twice-daily product, so you could be doing plenty more damage than previously anticipated. Your dentist wants you to steer clear of charcoal toothpaste, or only use it very sparingly.
LED home teeth whitening is another popular at-home treatment method that has been advertised by social media influencers and celebrities alike. It uses activator bleaching gel, a mouth guard, and an LED light attached to the guard to shine bright light into your teeth. The bleach in this activator gel, though, is advised not to come into contact with your gums, which is very hard considering you’re slathering it into a mouthguard and wearing it over your teeth up to your gum line. Also, swallowing any of the lightening agent could result in a sore throat because of the irritating bleach, which also seems unavoidable because of the saliva run-off from having something in your mouth. This kind of teeth whitening is warned against by your dentist because it can create sensitive mouth tissues, let alone sensitive teeth.

Teeth whitening with your dentist

Teeth whitening with your dentist is a much safer option than these non-prescription products you can find online. The easy availability of these is a little scary, and it’s always safer to trust a trained professional like your dentist. For example, our trained team of dentists at Abbey House Dental are accredited to perform Enlighten teeth whitening, which is actually one of the leading teeth whitening brands that doesn’t create sensitive teeth. This is because it doesn’t use bleach, but rather it increases your teeth’s permeability to oxygen. The oxygen absorbed by your teeth breaks down the stain molecules rather than stripping away your protective enamel. Please note it’s illegal for anyone other than a trained dentist or dental hygienist to perform teeth whitening treatments of this calibre, which is another reason why should only trust professional products from professional teams.
If you’re considering teeth whitening, always trust a trained dentist over click-to-order products from the internet. Visit your dentist in Stoke on Trent at Abbey House Dental today to find out more about teeth whitening with no sensitivity! Book your first appointment today on 01785 818037.