The Dangers of Home Teeth Whitening

Until a few years ago, if you wanted your teeth whitened (that is, restored to their natural color) or bleached (which refers to whitening them beyond their natural degree of whiteness), you had to go to your dentist and get an expensive and time consuming treatment. More recently, though, home remedies for whitening teeth have come onto the market which simplify the process, and make it much more affordable at the same time. In this article, we will look at some of the potential pitfalls of whitening teeth at home.

Home Teeth Whitening and Dental Pain

Over bleaching is a consistent worry that dentists express about home teeth whitening methods that involve bleaching agents such as hydrogen peroxide being applied to the teeth and gums. Many patients have experienced shooting, debilitating pains in their teeth (referred to as "zingers" by dentists) after bleaching them too harshly. In a 2002 survey of 100 people carried out by the University of Southern California's School of Dentistry, around half of the people surveyed complained of moderate to mild sensitivity after bleaching their teeth, while 4 out of the 100 experienced the aforementioned "zingers".

The problem is that for many people, the hunt for great white teeth is as obsessive as Captain Ahab's hunt for the great white whale. They see the "glow in the dark" teeth for which Hollywood celebrities pay many thousands of dollars and think that, if they only apply enough bleach, they too can have the same. But there are only finite amounts of bleaching agents that can be applied safely, without damaging tooth enamel and gum tissue.

The dangers of addiction are more acute with home teeth whitening products than they are with the brightening treatments you can get in your dentist's office, because unless your dentist is particularly unscrupulous, he or she will know when to stop, and will refuse to deliver a potentially unsafe treatment. With home teeth whitening treatments, however, it is possible to develop symptoms similar to those of anorexia. In the same way that an anorexic can never feel thin enough, people who develop this addiction feel that their teeth can never be white enough. A treatment that is designed to be applied occasionally becomes part of the addict's morning routine.

This does not mean that home teeth whitening is inherently dangerous, though. As with everything else, moderation is the key. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions, and resist the temptation to take it that little bit further in pursuit of perfectly white teeth.