Is teeth whitening harmful

The author of the article:

Anastasia Vorontsova

Photo: Professional mouthguard whitening

Professional teeth whitening is one of the currently demanded dental procedures.

You can carry out whitening, both in the doctor’s office and at home.

A natural question arises: is tooth whitening harmful? To get an answer to it, you should correctly understand the essence of the procedure.

What is the essence of whitening

The mechanism of teeth whitening is the impact on the internal tissue of the tooth - dentin. The natural shade of the tooth is determined by the color of the dentin and the degree of transparency of the enamel. Hard tooth tissues consist of approximately 70% of the inorganic substance hydroxyapatite, the remaining 30% are organic matter and water.

The essence of the whitening procedure is that a whitening gel containing carbamide or hydrogen peroxide is applied to the surface of the teeth.
Due to the porous structure of enamel, the product is able to penetrate dentin.
The effect of peroxide is carried out only on organic matter.
As a result of the oxidation process, the organic matter of dentin is broken down to intermediate products.
These products are much lighter than the original.
If during the procedure the action of a laser beam or light is applied, then the reaction rate, and hence the bleaching, is accelerated.

Thus, whitening does not damage the enamel and there are no negative consequences for the dental tissue as a whole.

But this is only true if the procedure is carried out by a professional.

How to safely whiten your teeth

Photo: Teeth whitening in the dentist's office

To ensure that the teeth whitening procedure does not cause harm, it is important to learn the following:

Whitening should be done only in the dentist's office, or under his control. This is important because tooth whitening has some contraindications and if they are not excluded, the result from the procedure may be the most unexpected: from complications to complete disappointment.
The whitening process must be kept under control. The key point of the procedure is the correctness and timely stop of the bleaching process. If the whitening protocol is not followed, a pulp burn can occur, which will be accompanied by severe soreness, and in severe cases will lead to tooth death.
If you try to whiten your teeth yourself with folk remedies or recipes taken from the Internet, then such an initiative can only do harm.
Before bleaching, if the patient has an increased sensitivity of the teeth, the doctor prescribes rheumatotherapy procedures, as well as a course of use of hypersensitivity reducing agents.
On the eve of bleaching, professional oral hygiene is performed. The purpose of the procedure is to remove tartar and plaque, which may interfere with obtaining the desired result.Often it is enough to carry out professional brushing so that the teeth become a little lighter.

Can everyone whiten teeth

Whitening is ideal for people who are at least 20 years old and not older than 55.
The procedure can be carried out only in the absence of periodontal diseases and dental problems, in the absence of fillings and orthopedic structures in the smile zone.
Teeth whitening is not welcome if the patient abuses smoking and drinking coffee and is not going to change his habits in the future.
If the patient’s teeth are yellow or tan, then these teeth are easier to whiten than gray or brown teeth.
In the absence of proper oral hygiene, bleaching is inappropriate.

Video: “Is teeth whitening harmful? Expert Opinion

Is it harmful to whiten teeth at home

There is the so-called gentle whitening, which is carried out at home using individual cap made by the dentist.

He gives the patient detailed instructions.
The essence of this procedure is that the patient wears a mouth guard with whitening gel for a certain time.
If discomfort occurs, the patient can immediately stop the procedure.
On the other hand, the use of a whitening system on its own, without strictly following the instructions for its use, can lead to various complications.

It is believed that with quick whitening, the procedure is safer for the teeth. If you adhere to this point of view, then one of the safest methods is laser whitening.

Toothpaste whitening

The composition of whitening pastes contains abrasive substances that are supposedly able to make teeth whiter.

Their effect can be compared with the action of cleaning products for stoves that scratch the surface.
And the damaged surface begins to absorb various pigments more strongly. Similar phenomena occur with teeth.
In addition, with prolonged use of whitening pastes, the gum mucosa is injured, which leads to inflammation and bleeding.

Is laser bleaching harmful

Many people are wary of hardware procedures.

Some patients believe that exposure to the laser beam is very dangerous for health, because, in their opinion, this beam is radioactive. This is a completely misconception.
Currently, all laser devices are widely used in medicine. Scientists have proven their absolute safety for health. In addition, all procedures are carried out very quickly and painlessly.

Patients' concerns about thinning enamel, bleeding gums and increased sensitivity of teeth during whitening are completely in vain.

According to dentists, this particular bleaching method is one of the most harmless.

Unlike the chemical bleaching method, repeated use of the laser does not destroy the enamel.

Whitening Zoom

Today, it is one of the most popular ways to brighten teeth, which does not have a harmful effect on teeth and enamel.

At one appointment, the teeth can be whiter by several tones.
Hydrogen peroxide acts directly on pigments.
At the same time, neither dentin nor pulp are involved in the bleaching process.
Exposure to the zoom lamp does not cause pulp overheating.
After the procedure, fluoridation of the teeth is carried out, which helps to strengthen the enamel and relieves increased sensitivity.

On the basis of clinical trials, dentists came to the conclusion that this method of whitening is absolutely harmless to health.

Reviews

I really like coffee, so I drink it in large quantities, which is why the color of my teeth left much to be desired.The dentist warned that if I did not give up coffee, the effect would be short-lived. They gave me laser bleaching, the effect is amazing, I did not even expect such a result. However, after the procedure, teeth ached for several days. Three months have passed, the result is still holding, but I do not forget to follow all the recommendations prescribed by the doctor. Refrain from taking dyeing products.
The appearance of my teeth would be far from ideal. For many years she dreamed of making her gray-yellow teeth white. Periodically I bought whitening toothpastes, after which the gums began to hurt and the sensitivity of the teeth increased. I went to the dentist, where they offered me a professional zoom whitening. But before, my teeth were prepared for this procedure by appointing a special toothpaste to remineralize the teeth in order to remove the increased sensitivity. I was afraid to do the procedure, but everything was not so scary. After bleaching, I felt lumbago in my teeth all day, but only discomfort remained by night. To maintain the effect, the dentist advised to conduct gentle whitening at home. To do this, I made a mouthpiece and gel.
Since childhood, my teeth have always been yellow. I tried to bleach them with home methods, but the effect was short-lived and after that the sensitivity of the teeth increased for a long time. The dentist suggested I try laser whitening. The procedure took about fifteen minutes and my smile became snow-white. Six months have passed, my teeth are white and healthy.