4 Popular Teeth Whitening Methods and Their Risks
Have your pearly whites lost their radiance because of dirty gray or yellow stains? Age, as well as some foods, drinks, and even mouthwashes can make enamel yellowish. There are a variety of ways to whiten teeth, whether at the dentist or in the bathroom of your own home. Here’s a list of the options for teeth whitening methods along with their risks.
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Teeth Whitening Methods and Risks
1. Whitening Toothpaste
The name “whitening toothpaste” is a bit deceptive. It can only slightly lighten your teeth by eliminating stains but it doesn’t whiten the enamel itself. Such whitening toothpaste is also more abrasive than the regular ones.
In reality, all kinds of toothpaste actually remove some surface stains but whitening toothpaste are a little more effective at this due to their abrasiveness. Whitening toothpaste can remove staining on your teeth but cannot change their internal color.
Charcoal toothpaste is also a great option to get rid of surface stains(1). They can also be used long-term if they’re manufactured according to the low abrasivity scale.
Risks:
Due to their abrasivity, whitening toothpaste may provoke sensitivity and gum recession. In order to avoid severe oral conditions, you should carefully use such kinds of toothpaste, with proper technique, while regularly checking in with your dentist to be sure you’re not committing any lasting damage.
Most whitening toothpaste contains hydrogen peroxide to stimulate whitening, which can increase the risk of oral cancer.
The high abrasivity of whitening toothpaste increases the probability of small abrasions on the teeth surface which creates a favorable environment for bacteria and increases the risk of cavities over time.
