Perils Of Tooth Whitening

While tooth whitening is a safe procedure now that peroxides have been banned (and was mostly safe even until then) it is still a medical procedure, and still has some dangers and hidden snags implied in it. Not everyone, with any kind of dentition, can have any kind of treatment. Because there are  numerous ways to whiten your smile, and some of them will not be compatible with the type of dentition that you have. Right now I intend to focus only on at home whitening kits and chairside tooth whitening, because strips can be used by almost everyone, as can whitening mouthwash. Always consult your dentist first though, before you start using any kind of new product.

Broken teeth, cavities

If you have even the slightest cavity, tooth whitening treatments will have to be postponed until after you have a filling on that tooth. Broken teeth need to be root canaled and filled up and sealed before anything can be done with them.

Cracks in the enamel

Sometimes there may be cracks in the enamel without you even noticing it, as the cracks may be so small and so unnoticeable. But any and all cracks in the enamel need to be taken seriously and covered before treatment begins, even the most minute and miniscule seeming ones. This is because the chemicals that whiten your teeth can get in through the cracks, and start to mess up your dentine and irritate the nerves, and this will cause a toothache, and may even damage the nerve, which is a big problem, as nerve damage cannot be repaired.

Gum issues

If your gums are stuck between your teeth, go on to your teeth, cover or graze your teeth in any way, you either need to have a custom made mouth guard that takes this into consideration, or you need to have the gums somehow cut back or otherwise removed. The whitening materials will wreck your gums, dry them out and will burn and hurt them. If you have periodontitis, or other forms of gum disease, stay away from tooth whitening sessions.

Crowns and fillings

While having a crown or a filling is not a reason to not get a whitening session, you should know that crowns and fillings respond differently to tooth whitening chemicals than teeth do. They may stay the same color, making them more visible, defeating the purpose of the whitening session, which is to be aesthetically pleasing.