Pearly white teeth can be very appealing. Unfortunately, over-the-counter bleaches that many people use to get that attractive smile can have several side effects, which can even cause long term damage.
Adriana Manso, a clinical assistant professor of dentistry at the University of British Columbia, said that with many over-the-counter products available to whiten teeth, people buy and self-apply these products without knowing and understanding the risks. She said that bleaching products can damage the tooth's enamel, which can expose the dentine, or the inner tooth.
How Teeth Whitening Works
Teeth whiteners typically contain hydrogen peroxide that diffuses through the teeth's enamel and breaks down chromogenic compounds that cause discoloration, making the teeth lighter. The bleaching products used by dentists work much the same way as over-the-counter products such as gels and strips but theirs contain up to 40 percent higher concentrations of peroxide.
How Bleaching Damages The Teeth
Overdoing the bleaching will no longer whiten the teeth. The peroxide instead breaks down the proteins of the enamel and causes changes to its structure.
Dentists have shade guides that help them track the effectiveness of the bleaching based on the initial shade of the patient's teeth, so they know when the bleaching has reached the maximum effect.
Significant enamel damage is often linked to over-the-counter bleaching products because those who use them were often unassisted when they bleach their teeth.
Tooth sensitivity, which causes pain when people consume hot or cold drinks is among the most noticeable effects of bleaching.
Ways To Whiten Teeth Naturally
For those who want to have white teeth sans the potential long term and irreversible damage posed by commercial teeth whiteners, there are natural options for whitening the teeth:
1. Quit habits known to darken teeth
Smoking and drinking tea, red wine and coffee are known to cause discoloration of the teeth. Quitting smoking habits and reducing intake of teeth-staining beverages may help prevent further discoloration.
"It makes no sense to have your teeth bleached if you are not willing to change your habits that cause discoloration. This only creates more demand for bleaching and leads to overuse of bleaching products," Manso said.
2. Do Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is a controversial technique of whitening the teeth but some people swear by it. It involves swishing coconut oil in the mouth for 20 minutes a day to remove plaque and bacteria.
3. Use Baking Soda
Some may argue that baking soda can be too abrasive but using Relative Dentin Abrasivity or RDA, dental researchers have given baking soda an RDA of 7 in a scale of 0 as no abrasivity to 250, the FDA maximum approved value. Baking soda gently scrubs away stains so the teeth can return to whiter shade.
