About Tooth Whitening
Whitening your teeth is one of the best and easiest ways to improve your smile. Teeth whitening is an almost 7 Billion dollar market, and most people have tried whitening their teeth at least once. There are a lot of misconceptions about whitening, so read on to learn some basics about teeth whitening and how you can get the best results with the least amount of sensitivity when you whiten.
Tooth “whitening” can describe one of two different things. One changes how your teeth look by removing stains, and the second actually changes the color of the underlying tooth. Let’s look at each of these two kinds of whitening.
1. External Whitening: I sometimes will give patients this example. If I have a white wall, and I put some mud on the wall, and then I take a sponge and wipe the mud off the wall making it look whiter again… would you say it’s fair to call that sponge a “whitening sponge”? After all, it did make the wall look whiter. Almost all whitening toothpaste, whitening mouthrinse, whitening gum, (banana peels - Thanks TikTok) etc. use this marketing technique to be able to promote a “whitening” product. It doesn’t really make anything whiter, but it does expose the natural brightness that’s already there underneath.
So is this kind of whitening even real? Almost every “whitening” toothpaste on the market uses abrasives to remove stain (like sponging the mud off the wall). And in fact, if you look at the back of the toothpaste box, it will likely have a disclaimer saying “can remove extrinsic stain” or some similar wording.
But what if you don’t have stain on your teeth to begin with? If you don’t have any stains, there’s nothing to remove and that toothpaste will not make your teeth look whiter, but it could make your teeth more sensitive because of the extra abrasives that they added.
What’s the best way to keep my teeth stain free? You might be disappointed with this answer: Brushing your teeth with a high-quality, low abrasive toothpaste, cleaning in between your teeth with something like floss, and seeing your dentist regularly to remove the stubborn stains is the best way to keep stain off your teeth. Those 3 things will make sure your teeth stay stain free. Plus, the added abrasives in many whitening toothpastes could damage the outer covering (enamel) of your teeth. Read on for tips to actually make your teeth whiter…
2. Internal Whitening: Internal whitening actually changes the color of your teeth. The ingredient that whitens teeth is peroxide. Peroxide comes in 2 different formulations, carbamide peroxide, and hydrogen peroxide.
So can’t I just use over the counter peroxide? Yes, you could. The kind you get in a brown bottle from the grocery store is typically 3% hydrogen peroxide and that would whiten your teeth over time. However because it’s a rinse it will target both your teeth and gums and most people find it very irritating to their gums if they use it frequently. Your teeth may become sensitive and your gums may revolt. Using it at less than full strength (like adding water or mouthrinse) severely limits the whitening ability of over the counter peroxide.
What about other over the counter products? As long as they have peroxide in them and it hasn’t been sitting around for too long they will work given enough time. The problem with over the counter whitening products is that the percentage of peroxide is limited. So, they either are not very effective, or you have to wear them for an extended period of time. If you’re reading this, you probably have used over the counter products and have been frustrated.
What’s the difference between hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide? 10% Carbamide peroxide is equivalent to about 3.5% hydrogen peroxide. So, hydrogen peroxide is about 3 times as powerful as the same strength carbamide peroxide. Most of the over the counter products are going to be made out of carbamide peroxide because they can sit out on a shelf for months at room temperature and still maintain some of their whitening capabilities. Most professional products are made out of hydrogen peroxide but they need to be kept fresh, because light and heat degrade hydrogen peroxide quickly.
So what’s the best whitening products to use? We have found that higher concentrations (think, hydrogen peroxide) for shorter periods of time yields the best results. With higher concentrations of peroxide, you need to protect sensitive gum tissue and make sure the whitening products don’t get throughout your mouth. Currently, we use a product that is 35% Hydrogen Peroxide for four, 8 minute treatments. We have found that it’s the best way to get your teeth the whitest with the least risk for sensitivity.
Yeah… so, about that sensitivity, my teeth get sensitive! You’re not alone, it’s common. There are some tricks we can use and we find that even those who have been too sensitive for other whitening treatments do well with minimal sensitivity if they follow our protocol.
A few more general things about whitening, if done correctly the chances of damaging your teeth with peroxide is very small. You have a greater chance of damaging your teeth with overly-abrasive products that don’t change the color of your teeth anyway.
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