Is tooth whitening damaging to enamel?

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tanwe461

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Hi all! This might sound like a stupid question, but we have like tooth whitening solutions that you can apply directly to teeth...like gel or something like that...are these harmful to the enamel?

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Originally posted by tanwe461
Hi all! This might sound like a stupid question, but we have like tooth whitening solutions that you can apply directly to teeth...like gel or something like that...are these harmful to the enamel?
Nope. They just leach into spaces in the enamel structure and oxidize the materials causing the staining. No need to worry. :D
 
Bill is correct, of course.

Although, there are some substances that people commonly apply to their teeth that DO whiten the teeth but also DO damage the enamel.

Tooth whitening solutions that are labeled as such are safe. The items I'm referring to are typical home-remedy type substances (lemon juice, etc.).
 
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thanks guys for the reply. i am not sure whether this product is available in the US, but Colgate just had this whitening solution where you literally paint on the tooth. a lot of patients asked me the credibility of it, and i think it's not that bad if it's by Colgate. but just wanted to check with you guys.
 
so which one can you recommend/ones that a dentist would use themselves?
 
Originally posted by tanwe461
thanks guys for the reply. i am not sure whether this product is available in the US, but Colgate just had this whitening solution where you literally paint on the tooth. a lot of patients asked me the credibility of it, and i think it's not that bad if it's by Colgate. but just wanted to check with you guys.
The Colgate liquid whitener actually has a tendency to rinse off in saliva before it can exert much whitening effect. I can't pull up the literature reference, but you might try looking. Whitening strips seem to be the best home whitening option currently available.
 
Paint-on whiteners might be especially convenient for ppl with not all teeth uniformly discolored, though.

Do ppl really apply lemon juice to whiten teeth? Yowza!!! :wow: That ain't good!
 
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