Is Teeth Whitening Safe?

This popular cosmetic dentistry procedure can be repeated often, but how safe is it?

With spring and summer on the horizon, many of our Canterbury patients are likely to be looking at ways they can improve their smiles. One of the most popular procedures that we offer to achieve this is teeth whitening. Popularised by movie and TV celebrities, this is usually the first port of call for anyone who wants a whiter smile.

Particularly when someone is new to this treatment, understandably they want to make sure that it is safe. In today’s blog, we are going to look at the safety of the professional procedure, and the risks of less regulated methods.

DIY Teeth whitening

Let us start with potentially the most dangerous of all options; trying to whiten your teeth yourself. Unfortunately, there is much information available online that can really damage your teeth. Many of these make outlandish claims or claims that completely ignore the safety element of teeth whitening. While not all are harmful, though ultimately useless, the presence of suggestions such as using household bleach are really dangerous and could do untold damage to your teeth and gums, and even be life threatening if swallowed.

Even leaving aside the obviously harmful ones such as the example above, there are some that seem to be harmless on the surface. The use of lemon juice to brush your teeth is a good example. Although lemon juice is entirely natural, it is highly acidic and will damage the surface enamel of your teeth, possibly leading to sensitivity and a higher risk of tooth decay. The irony is that the damage it does to enamel creates a rough surface that staining food and drinks will find it easier to become attached to.

Whitening toothpastes

Most of these are safe to use, but this is also the reason why they are fairly ineffective. For safety reasons, the amount of the bleaching agent to whiten teeth that is legally allowed in them is very low. For that reason, the most likely thing to happen if you use these is that you will notice next to no difference in the colour of your teeth. Even here though, there is good reason to be cautious. Some whitening toothpastes do include additional abrasive elements to get rid of surface staining. While they may have some partial success, they can damage the enamel surface of your teeth if used excessively, leading to problems down the line. By and large, whitening toothpastes are best avoided or as a minimum, used with caution.

Over the counter whitening kits

These kits sometimes claim to offer a similar outcome to professional whitening treatments such as those you can have at Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic. They use trays and a whitening gel to put in them which are then worn for a period of time. There are still restrictions on the amount of bleach allowed in these but it is higher than in toothpastes. The main issue here though is that the trays are not made for each individual. Not only can this cause discomfort due to ill-fitting, but also means that the bleaching agent can leak and come into contact with the gums. This can cause some very unpleasant burning and damage to the gums and really isn’t worth it.

Teeth whitening abroad

While few people are likely to travel abroad specifically for this treatment as it is relatively affordable in the UK, they may decide to have it to complete some other cosmetic dental work they are having done there. We have written previously on the risks of having dental treatment abroad so won’t cover that here, other than to say that, as with other treatments, standards and levels of expertise may be different to the UK. There is a real risk that too high a concentration of bleach may be used to whiten the teeth, again risking damage to the enamel.

Safe and effective teeth whitening in Canterbury

So what should you do if you want to have your teeth whitened? The best approach is to contact one of our Canterbury cosmetic dentists. Unlike the approaches above, this will ensure that your teeth are in good health before any treatment begins (why whiten teeth that have started to decay?). They will also be able to discuss options for the best result. For example, an ex smoker may have teeth that are too badly stained for a whitening procedure and porcelain dental veneers may be suggested instead.

Working on the presumption that a teeth whitening treatment is sufficient though, the trays that will be used for this will be made from impressions of your own teeth. This makes them comfortable but also minimises any risk of leakage of bleach. We are also allowed to use a higher concentration of bleach which will be more effective, as this is done within a professional dental environment where safety can be monitored. We will always discuss any medical issues you might have to ensure that you are a suitable candidate. In most cases you will be although there are one or two exceptions to this. The treatment can also be carried out as often as required with no detrimental effect to your teeth or gums.

The fact is that a lot can go wrong if you try to take shortcuts or to save money. The reality is that having your teeth whitening here, at the time of writing, costs between £432 and £499 depending if you are part of the Denplan scheme or not. This payment can be spread over a period of time using one of our payment plans too.

It isn’t worth taking risks with your teeth and if you would like to achieve a whiter smile for the hopefully sunnier months ahead, the most effective and safest way is to contact Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic in Canterbury to arrange an initial discussion with a dentist. You can do this by calling us today on 01227 463529.