Risks Associated with Teeth Whitening

There are some clear indications that persistent dental whitening can be harmful for the teeth.

People are generally infatuated with the looks of the Hollywood celebrities. They will do everything they can to copy them, from hair styles to clothes and up to bleaching their teeth until their enamel is damaged.

Most of the people know that undergoing too many cosmetic surgery procedures exposes them to big risks, but they avoid acknowledging that too much teeth whitening or whitening done with the wrong procedure could be very dangerous.

The most sought after products in this segment are the home teeth whitening kits. People can use them in the comfort of their home, and they are cheap too.

The website of the ABC has recently featured an interview of Dr. Bobby Stanley, a reputable dentist. She states there that many home use teeth whitening kits are not even tested for safety and many contain ingredients that can lead to gum injuries and even to tooth erosion.

Bleaching can be quite dangerous as it makes the teeth becoming more porous. It has been noted by many people, that if they give up using bleaching for a period, their teeth will have shades much darker than they initially had before starting to use these whiteners.

This happens mainly because bleaching will make the teeth porous, and thus they will “absorb” much better the stains. When you consume teeth staining drinks such as coffee, coke or wine, your teeth are stained. Now when the enamel is already very porous, these stains will get imprinted on the teeth very stubbornly.

In order to eliminate them, you need to use bleaching again, which will make the enamel even more porous. This is how the vicious circle of teeth whitening goes on and on…

Even the American Dental Association states that bleaching can be harmful for the teeth, mainly because the whitening products contain high levels of peroxide. Peroxide in turn contains free radicals which come in contact with nucleic acids and proteins and can cause many damages within the cells.

There have also been raised some questions regarding the carcinogenicity of the peroxide, but there is more research needed in the field to make a clear link between the heavy use or peroxide products and the increased risk for cancerous diseases.

Too much bleaching can easily lead to teeth which are not healthy white anymore, but rather translucent. The enamel can be damaged irreversibly, so make sure to use bleaching products cautiously and rarely.