Teeth whitening is a highly effective method for those who want to have a confident smile. However, is teeth whitening harmful? Should you whiten your teeth? Before whitening your teeth, you should learn carefully about this method!
1. Why do you need to whiten your teeth? What causes tooth discoloration?
Teeth are easily discolored by our daily food and drinks. Brushing only cleans plaque on teeth but does not whiten teeth, so you need to whiten your teeth to have bright, even-colored teeth, giving you a more confident smile. At the same time, it also eliminates bad breath caused by yellow plaque.
There are 2 main causes of tooth discoloration:
a. Tooth surface discoloration
– Using colored foods such as chocolate, tea, coffee, soft drinks, etc. erodes tooth enamel, causing tooth discoloration.
– Smoking for many years.
– Poor oral hygiene creates conditions for leftover food and bacteria to stick to tooth enamel, causing teeth to become darker.
– Mouthwash: Using mouthwash containing Chloherxidine, Hexetidine for a long time causes tooth discoloration.
b. Tooth discoloration inside the tooth structure
– Old age: Over time, the outer layer of tooth enamel gradually wears away, combined with colored foods, making tooth discoloration worse.
– Genetics: The thinner the enamel layer, the more visible the yellow dentin inside, and the thickness of this enamel layer depends on genetics.
– Using Tetracycline antibiotics: The active ingredients in Tetracycline antibiotics diffuse into newly formed calcified tissue, causing the salts of the color element to penetrate the dentin, causing tooth discoloration.
– Excess fluoride: Using water sources with high fluoride concentrations, using too much fluoride toothpaste can affect the tooth structure, causing tooth discoloration.
2. Should you whiten your teeth?
Having white teeth helps you feel more confident in communication, bringing many advantages in studying, working as well as daily life. When you see signs of yellow, dull teeth caused by improper hygiene, eating foods that are harmful to teeth, teeth stained by plaque, etc., you should whiten them. Here are the benefits of teeth whitening:
Teeth whitening helps you feel more confident in communication
External factors such as foods and drinks containing color, regular smoking habits, etc. can cause teeth to become discolored and lose their aesthetic value. Therefore, teeth whitening is a safe cosmetic method to help your teeth become whiter, you will have a more beautiful smile, and be confident when communicating with friends, partners and people around you.
Remove plaque, bacteria, make teeth stronger
Teeth whitening helps remove stubborn stains on tooth enamel, repel harmful bacteria, prevent tooth decay, tartar effectively, contributing to improving oral health very well.
However, whether teeth whitening achieves good results or not will depend on your oral health condition.
g: The following cases should perform tooth whitening
– The patient’s tooth enamel is still healthy, with little or no abrasion.
– The patient’s oral health is good.
– People over 18 years old and the jawbone structure is complete, without any changes.
– People who are not too old and do not have chronic diseases that affect their health.
You should only perform tooth whitening when prescribed by a specialist. In case you are experiencing dental diseases, you should complete treatment before performing whitening methods to ensure the safety of your teeth.
3. Is tooth whitening harmful? Cases where tooth whitening is not recommended
According to the British Dental Association (BDA), clinical studies have concluded that tooth whitening technology is completely harmless, safe for oral health, does not damage tooth enamel, and does not change the tooth structure if performed properly.
In fact, about 60% of cases feel pain after teeth whitening. However, this is a normal symptom, because the tooth surface has just been stimulated to remove dirt and plaque, so it is inevitable that there will be a slight pain. After a few days, the pain will disappear.
If teeth whitening is not performed properly, overuse of teeth whitening, use of poor quality bleaching agents, etc., it can cause many complications affecting the oral cavity.
– The enamel layer is worn down, causing tooth sensitivity.
– Gums are damaged, which can lead to serious oral diseases.
– Can cause allergies when using inappropriate bleaching agents.
To ensure the safety of the teeth whitening process and achieve the best results, you should go to reputable dental clinics, use genuine bleaching agents, with clear origins, and modern equipment and technology.
Cases where teeth whitening is not recommended
The following cases should be noted when whitening teeth:
– Pregnant and breastfeeding women, because some active ingredients in teeth whitening agents will affect the health of infants and young children.
– People under 16 years old because their teeth are still in the process of being completed.
– People with periodontal disease, tooth decay, exposed tooth roots, … and people who show signs of allergy to teeth whitening agents.
– Dentures, removable porcelain teeth: Teeth whitening will not be effective in this case. Because whitening agents are only effective on real tooth enamel
4. Notes when whitening teeth
Although teeth whitening is a fairly simple technique in dentistry, it does not pose a danger to your teeth or health. However, you also need to pay attention to the following issues before whitening to achieve the highest efficiency.
a. Before whitening teeth
Before whitening teeth, you need to clean tartar, brush off colored plaque, restore worn tooth necks, and treat tooth sensitivity if your teeth are too sensitive.
c. Care after whitening
You should only start drinking water at least 3 hours after whitening teeth. After 1-2 weeks of whitening, you should avoid colored foods and drinks, and avoid drinking water that is too hot or too cold.
Brush your teeth properly, after eating or at least 2 times/day, and you should also use dental floss to remove food from between your teeth after eating.
You should rinse your mouth with saline in the evening to prevent bacteria from attacking.
Regular dental check-ups every 6-12 months for general check-up and tooth color assessment. If necessary, teeth whitening may be required.
d. Severe discoloration
In severe discoloration, you can combine both in-office whitening and home trays to achieve the desired effect.
e. Repeated whitening will be harmful
Frequent teeth whitening can cause prolonged tooth sensitivity and weaken your teeth. It is best to whiten your teeth 1-2 times a year as directed by your dentist.
f. Choosing a dental clinic for teeth whitening
Currently, teeth whitening is widely performed at many facilities that are not fully equipped and do not provide clear advice from doctors. Therefore, to achieve optimal treatment results and ensure safety for your oral health, you need to find a reputable dental center with a team of highly skilled doctors and modern machinery to serve the treatment and examination process well.
Thanks to the development of modern technology, teeth whitening seems to have become very simple and fast. If you are eligible and your teeth do not have any pathological conditions such as tooth decay, gingivitis, periodontitis, etc., you should have your teeth whitened to have the beautiful teeth you desire.
