Is Teeth Whitening Damaging To My Enamel?

Yes and no. It’s complicated. In the world of pearly white smiles everywhere you turn on TV, the movies, and in society, it’s easy to feel like one’s own teeth are yellowed and ugly in comparison. It’s easy to feel self-conscious when noticing that one’s teeth hare noticeably yellow.

Tooth whitening lasts for a long time when done by a professional and can allow you to smile with pride when you previously smiled closed-lipped. However, many still fear the dangers of tooth whitening, perhaps feeling like it sounds too good to be true. So, the question becomes, does tooth whitening hurt the teeth?

What causes yellow teeth in the first place?

Habits such as cigarette smoking, coffee drinking, teeth grinding, and poor dental hygiene work to yellow the teeth prematurely, while other factors such as genetics and age also play a part in slowly yellowing your teeth.

What is tooth whitening?

Tooth whitening is a chemical cleansing of the outermost layer of your tooth enamel, normally by using hydrogen peroxide. It can be done in a dental clinic, at home with advice form a dentist, or simply at home with over the counter whitening products (these will be of a much weaker type that those administered by dentists).

Can anyone whiten their teeth?

No, unfortunately not everyone should use tooth whitening. While the process is not damaging for healthy teeth (as it only reaches the outermost layer of your enamel, and enamel is the strongest material in the human body), it can be harmful to already damaged teeth.

It is smart to speak to a dentist before whitening your teeth to assess of you have any enamel damages such as weakened enamel, cavities, or tooth sensitivity. Other factors such as fillings, caps or fake teeth may also stop you from whitening your teeth, as the process could be detrimental to the materials used or cause more glaring colour differences between the fake and real teeth.

The advice is always to speak to a trained practitioner about your options before whitening your teeth to avoid damage.

Possible damages from tooth whitening.

If your teeth are healthy and your enamel is strong, tooth whitening by a professional should have no impact on your teeth. You might experience some tooth sensitivity a short while after the whitening.

However, if you have cavities or an otherwise weakened enamel or suffer from tooth sensitivity, the hydrogen peroxide can make this worse, as it gets inside the cavities, and/or touches the spots where you experience tooth sensitivity.

So, if your teeth are strong and healthy, teeth whitening can be rewarding and life-lasting with a small chance of minor tooth sensitivity following the procedure. If your teeth are already injured, or you have fillings or caps, lay off the teeth whitening because it can do more harm than good, physically and cosmetically.