Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Is Your Whitening Toothpaste Hurting You?

Tartar control and whitening pastes can be especially abrasive and should be used with great caution. If you are using any of those products you should know that they do not contain any of the materials dentists use to whiten teeth, such as carbamide peroxide and other oxygen releasing chemicals.

What they do contain are abrasives and scrubbing agents that do not brighten enamel or penetrate into the microscopic openings in the tooth surface to where the real darkening is happening.

They simply remove surface stains.  This is not real whitening and is only temporary.

But they also can cause microscopic scratches in the tooth enamel surface that not only collect stain, but can also harbor the biofilms that begin the decay process. And they can cause tooth sensitivity, especially to temperature extremes.

This is significant damage and it can be reversed to some degree by dental offices that know how.

Real tooth whitening can only be done with professionally effective and safe materials. Dentists know that they have to be sure your teeth do not have defects that can be harmed by whitening materials and they have to supervise the process.

Want whiter teeth?  Let us know.  We will show you how to do it, safely.  

Most toothpaste sold today is perfectly safe and effective.  Avoid those that claim to whiten teeth or remove stains from smoking. These are the bad ones that may cause your teeth harm.
Toothpaste is, basically, a lubricant and detergent.  It is the brush that does the work of removing biofilm, food debris and other unwanted stuff.  And it tastes good. Make sure it has fluoride.

All over the world there are cultures that clean their mouths very well without toothpaste.  But it's nice to have it.

So choose what you like according to the flavor, feel, cost, etc.

You also need floss, or some other effective way to get between teeth safely.


The important thing is to stay focused.  The goal is to remove biofim from all surfaces above and below the gumline, without damage.

Please call us at (800) 223-0801 with any questions or to schedule your teeth whitening today. 

No comments:

Post a Comment