What’s the best way to get a brighter smile? Should you see your dentist for professional teeth whitening, or are you better off relying on store-bought products? Whitening strips that can be used at home might seem more convenient, but if you’re not careful, you could actually end up hurting your pearly whites! Read on to learn more about the risks of over the counter products and why professional teeth whitening is the safer solution.
How Can Teeth Whitening Damage Your Smile?
Many whitening products contain hydrogen peroxide. This active ingredient can enter your enamel and break up the molecules that cause discoloration. Unfortunately, a recent study shows that hydrogen peroxide might have an unintended side effect: it can eat away at dentin. Dentin is the material below your enamel that provides added protection for the more sensitive parts of the tooth. Over the course of multiple experiments during the study, researchers found that enough exposure to hydrogen peroxide could cause collagen – the main protein used to form dentin – to break down entirely.
Why is It Riskier to Use Over the Counter Whitening?
While losing a small amount of dentin is unlikely to cause lasting harm to your smile, too much exposure to the hydrogen peroxide used in teeth whitening could leave your teeth weaker and very sensitive. This is why using over the counter teeth whitening is potentially riskier; there’s no oversight from a cosmetic dentist who can tell you where to draw the line, and you could easily end up overusing a whitening product. Furthermore, there are some kinds of discoloration that hydrogen peroxide won’t have any effect on, meaning teeth whitening could do more harm than could.
What are the Benefits of Professional Teeth Whitening?
Your dentist can check your teeth and make sure that you’re a good candidate for teeth whitening; they’ll also be able to control the procedure from start to finish so that your teeth aren’t exposed to too much hydrogen peroxide.
Many dentists rely on Zoom! teeth whitening, which uses a high grade gel and a specialized light to brighten your smile by several shades in about an hour. Zoom! has been extensively studied and is widely considered to be one of the safest cosmetic procedures available; if your dentist offers Zoom! at their practice, it’s likely to be one of the most reliable methods of teeth whitening available.
A dazzling smile is a wonderful thing, but it’s not worth putting your teeth at risk. Instead of taking your chances with a “do it yourself” approach, talk to your dentist about some of the options that you can explore to create a more beautiful grin.
About Premier Dental
At Premier Dental, Dr. Adam and Dr. Giuliana Jones specialize in repairing damaged teeth and addressing all kinds of cosmetic issues to help you smile as much as you want. We use Zoom! teeth whitening at our Vero Beach practice to improve your teeth by up to eight shades in just one visit. To schedule an appointment, visit our website or call (772) 234-5353.