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The Dangers of Whitening Your Teeth at Home

Teeth whitening is one of the most popular treatments all over the world. Lifestyle factors such as consuming pigmented drinks, smoking and general staining will affect your teeth over time, however, with a good brushing routine and teeth whitening treatments you can regain your bright, shiny smile. However, as tempting as it can be to buy whitening treatments on the internet, you should always have it done by a professional.

In this blog, we explain some of the problems associated with at-home teeth whitening.

Permanent damage

When done by a registered professional, teeth whitening is a safe procedure. However, if you decide to buy teeth whitening kits on the internet you are at high risk of permanent damage. If the product is too strong, this can remove the protective layers of your teeth and the enamel making your teeth weaker than before.

Sensitivity

Even if you don’t currently suffer from sensitivity, the wrong kind of teeth whitening can make your teeth and mouth very sore. When the mouth guard doesn’t fit properly or whitening strips are placed incorrectly, bleach can leak out and cause painful burns on your gums and other areas of your mouth. Over time, you may notice increased sensitivity when consuming hot drinks or cold foods, making everyday very uncomfortable.

Uneven results

Using at-home kits is not a professional method of whitening your teeth and if you don’t know what you’re doing you may end up with patching teeth. An uneven spread of bleach is one side effect you could end up with when certain areas of the tooth grab the bleach more than others, therefore causing patchy colouring.

Here at Riverside Dental Practice, based in Stirling, we offer professional teeth whitening as well as general dentistry care. To combat staining and darkening of the teeth, our 2-3 week treatment will give you a whiter, brighter smile while protecting the surface. For more information, get in touch.