Before You Whiten, Consider the Options
By Teresa Ambord
Remember the days when tooth whitening amounted to advertisements by a couple of toothpastes (and even one chewing gum) that promised brighter smiles, but never delivered? Eventually, a new method came along, where the dentist made molds of your teeth, one upper plate, one lower, sent them to a lab which made trays that fit around your teeth. It was expensive, but it worked.
Then suddenly, a trickle of new products hit the market. Bleaching strips and brush-on whiteners. The trickle turned to a flood, as everyone wanted to get into the act. You might easily assume that these products are safe because surely they must have the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) right? But the cold fact is, the FDA does not consider teeth whiteners to be drugs. Therefore, no approval is necessary.
On the other hand, the American Dental Association (ADA) has established guidelines for tooth whiteners, and will issue a seal of approval for safety and effectiveness. If a product has an ADA seal, that is a certification that the product won't harm the teeth or gums, and it will whiten the teeth. But going through the ADA approval process is expensive and time consuming, and many producers rushed into the tooth whitening market, without seeking this approval. As of June 2004, no over-the-counter teeth whitening products have earned ADA approval, although many have tried.
The only home products that have earned that seal are kits you buy from your dentist. These kits are made with the active ingredient carbamide, usually 10 percent. But if your dentist thinks you need it, he or she might give you gel with a higher concentrations of carbamide, which may not have ADA approval. Over the counter whiteners are made with hydrogen peroxide, which for some people, makes their teeth more sensitive.
Here is what one dentist says about the various types of tooth whitening products:
- Brush on whitener: this product is a shortcut. You brush it on, it dries, and hopefully stays on your teeth overnight. But there are two problems. The inside of your mouth is wet, and may remove some of the whitener as you sleep, causing an uneven whitening effect. The other problem is that the product contains alcohol, and alcohol produces bad breath.
- Whitening strips: these are little tapes that you apply and leave on for 30 minutes or so. They are convenient and cheap. One problem with them could be that they don't conform to the grooves of your teeth and may cause uneven bleaching.
- Bleaching trays: these are the kits you buy from your dentists. They are still somewhat expensive, but bleaching trays seem to provide the best coverage.
- Laser bleaching: this is done in the dentist's office. It involves applying a translucent bleaching gel to your teeth, after which a laser light is used to activate the gel crystals and increase the whitening. Usually, it takes only one visit, and is quite noticeable. And... it is very expensive... think four figures.
Summary
If you have more money than time, you might like the laser bleaching. If money is an issue, which it is for most of us, brush on gel and whitening strips are very cheap, but the use of hydrogen peroxide in these may make your teeth sensitive. And bleaching trays from your dentist may cost a few hundred dollars, but are probably ADA approved and less likely to sensitize your teeth.
Before you decide, do your homework. If your teeth are already sensitive, you may regret using a product that will sensitize them even more.
