Dr Jason Tung here at Beenleigh Marketplace Dental believes DIY Teeth Whitening should simply be avoided. Are you doing your teeth more harm than good?
We spoke recently with Dr Jason Tung about what we call, ‘The Whitening Debate’.
There is just so much going on in the world of teeth whitening, yet, none of us know what’s good, bad, right, wrong, dirty, ugly. So, let’s hear from Dr Jason Tung from Beenleigh Marketplace on what he thinks, from a dental professional’s point of view.
Chemist or Shopping Center Whitening kits
Let’s evaluate our options … neither!
It seems like every week there are new products on the market. They do have the merit of how they function in the world. I guess the biggest problem is that there are many parts of DIY teeth whitening that is not regulated and, it’s a lot of fine print.
With these sorts of products, you need to weigh all the risks and limitations you have.
The biggest risk would be a simple mistake where you could be overexposed to the product. Even if you don’t see the damage, that doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Don’t be fooled by the online results
Most of these products have some platform to facilitate the effectiveness and result of the product, which can completely overlook the risks of overusing which of course, can cause unwanted effects such as erosion, sensitive teeth or even soft tissue burning as well.
The biggest problem would probably be the fact you have essentially no control of how you use it.
How the teeth whitening process should work
There are two real methods; one is the extrinsic method, which is by mechanical abrasion or brushing your teeth, and the other method is with some form of dental peroxide.
Certain brands of certain procedure protocols do involve high-intensity light as well, which reportedly can cause burns, especially if it’s not done properly. But in the case to be selected very carefully, particularly if you have sensitive teeth, periodontal conditions or acid erosion to start with, they may be quite stimulating for you to experience.
Advice on DIY Teeth Whitening kits
For take-home DIY kits, if you don’t need as much dosage with the application and it is more evenly spread throughout, you have better control in that regard. However, I wouldn’t rely on dosage recommendations.
The concentration of the active ingredient is also generally much higher from the practitioner than off-the-shelf supermarket products, because of the regulations. So that’s another main difference.
And obviously, the dentist should also have a review appointment with you to evaluate the effectiveness or the side effect of the actual treatment to evaluate suitability. So overall, there is a lot more supervision and control over it with a professional, which is definitely needed.
I think without a doubt if it’s something that is put on or into your body, it should be somewhat part of a category. I would certainly hope that there’s a part of us that would want to meet a medical practitioner to begin that process. There’s a lot of cultural force behind it. So, it does make the dental profession helpful.
The Whitening Debate Beenleigh
For anybody reading this, we hope we’ve shouted that message loud and clear!
If you would like more information about teeth whitening from the team at BMP Dental or would like to book an appointment, do not hesitate to contact us today. Or, click to learn about Dr Jason Tung and his team.