I have written about the dangers of teeth whitening before. On the other hand, many people are interested in teeth whitening.
Therefore there has to be some kind of balance between that need and the need to understand the dangers. This is about awareness.
This article speaks in general. For specific questions about your own dental health be sure to consult with your doctor.
Not all teeth whitening is equal. There are many things to consider when thinking about whitening your teeth.
You have to decide between a home treatment or a professional dental treatment. There are pros and cons to each.
Professional treatments are often expensive and they could be riskier for your personal health. Hopefully, being under the care of a dentist will minimize the risk. But you have to be cautious.
Powerful bleaching agents (including those used with lasers) could harm your teeth. This includes damage to the enamel. The least of which could just manifest as simple sensitivity.
The more advanced problems could involve damage to the pulp which could cause teeth to die. If this were to happen, you could be facing a root canal and a crown. When teeth die, they eventually turn brown.
One dentist blamed teeth whitening for a mouth full of root canals!
This is not to say that home bleaching treatments are 100% safe either. There are dangers there too. However, the chemicals involved should generally be less powerful than the office variety.
These things are not being said to scare you. They are being said to let you know that everything is not always rosy- as with most things in life. There are many sites out there promoting whitening treatments and they only tell you about the glamorous side and they fail to mention the possibility of what could happen!
They may sell more of their products that way, but is it really fair to the person interested in teeth whitening? This is one reason why I think it is only fair to let you know the truth.
Generally, the danger is greater to younger teeth. When a person gets older, the size of the pulp shrinks and the tooth actually becomes harder. This means that it is harder for the dangerous chemicals to penetrate to and reach the pulp.
In a younger tooth, it is much easier. The pulp is larger and occupies more space ‘inside’ the tooth. We are not discussing ‘baby teeth’ versus ‘adult teeth’. We are only talking about adult teeth here. There is absolutely no ethical or moral reason to bleach baby teeth!
Not all is bad though. Many people do use whitening agents without incident. In fact, it may be less likely with over the counter teeth whitening products than harsher office treatments. In either case, make your decision wisely.
Traditional “in home” teeth whitening involves trays and after making a soft mold of your teeth you create the tray from heating the material. However, again, you are placing chemicals in contact with your teeth and gums. On the other hand, these home treatments are often not ‘as aggressive as the in-office treatments you may experience.
Another possibility is a different type of whitening. This is one that is potentially less troublesome. You have much more control over how much of the whitening agent gets on your teeth and gums. This is by use of tooth whitening pen.
Certainly, there is a desire for whiter looking teeth and that is perfectly understandable. Now that you have some new understandings about tooth whitening, you can make a better informed choice with awareness.
If you still wish to use the traditional, in home teeth whitening trays, click here and you can utilize this coupon code: a-per10 – this coupon will give you free shipping in the US and a free tube of Perio Therapy toothpaste ($14) value.
If you wish to investigate the tooth whitening pens instead, click here to learn more.