4 Reasons You Should Avoid DIY Whitening
Posted on 11/21/2022 by Dr. Cheryl Freeman |
 The trend for having whiter teeth has been fueled by influencers, social media, and TV commercials. As people look forward to whitening their smiles, they ought to be careful about how they are doing it. People have been visiting dental offices for whitening treatments, veneers, and crowns. Again, people have been going for the mass-approved DIY whitening methods.
Popular DIY Whitening Methods
You may have heard of these highly touted products that are considered organic or natural in whitening teeth. They include activated charcoal, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, fruit peels, and kaolin clay. While these products can whiten teeth, they may deliver consistent results. Also, the resulting damaged tooth requires extensive treatment or even extraction and replacement with dental implants.
You should consider avoiding these methods of whitening and choose in-office dentist-supervised whitening methods instead. DIY whitening does cause damage to a tooth in different ways.
Abrasion of Teeth
Many whitening procedures will cause abrasion to teeth in a bid to whiten them. However, if the abrasion is not controlled, the damage can be irreversible. In-office and dentist-supervised whitening are much safer compared to using, for instance, activated charcoal without any professional advice.
Erosion of Teeth
DIY whitening products tend to erode the tooth structure, leading to the loss of a tooth. The acid and chemicals in these products create sensitivity as the enamel layers and dentine are washed away, leading to a worse aesthetic result or even injury and pain to the tooth.
A Dangerous Cycle
People get glued into a cycle of teeth whitening because DIY products do not deliver adequate results. As you repeat the whitening, you increase the duration, intensity, and amount or concentration of the products you are using. As a result, you ultimately damage the tooth.
No One-Size-Fits All
The DIY whitening products aren't helpful to everyone. Some of those products have ingredients that can lead to gingival trauma, swelling, increased sensitivity, tooth erosion, mouth ulcers, and gastric upset if ingested. Contact us to discover more about whitening your teeth and what options to choose.
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