Teeth bleaching and whitening has increased in popularity dramatically in the past few years. In the media, celebrities have dazzling smiles and reality TV stars are spending thousands on having a smile makeover.
However, do you know enough about teeth bleaching? The BBC recently wrote an article about the dangers of teeth whitening, highlighting the fact that some beauty salons offer teeth whitening treatment illegally. Despite regulations and fines for salons which offer the treatment illegally, people are still being caught out using these places. When considering having teeth whitened, it’s so important to know what to look out for and to have it done in a safe, legal environment. Here in York, our dentists are registered with the General Dental Council to carry out teeth whitening procedures. Check out our top three tips you should know before deciding to bleach or whiten your teeth.
Only Go With A Registered Dental Professional
If you decide to have teeth whitening done professionally (not using an off the shelf at-home kit), the most important thing is to make sure that the person administering the treatment is registered and approved by the General Dental Council. Some beauty salons offer teeth whitening products which you self-administer in the premises and claim that this is not breaking the law as you are technically doing it yourself. There is no registered dental practitioner present, but you are given instructions on how to use the product. The GDC claim that this is still illegal and these salons should not be offering this service. This option may be cheaper, however, your safety is not maintained throughout the application and could lead to pain and problems afterwards. Any product which is not directly obtained from the dentist does not have the safety assurances you should expect from a whitening product.
Check The Amount of Hydrogen Peroxide
If you really want to make your teeth whiter then you need to look at how much hydrogen peroxide is in the product, as this is the active whitening ingredient. The problem with teeth whitening gel you buy off the shelf in supermarkets is that they legally cannot contain enough of this ingredient to make a big difference to teeth. Anything not prescribed by a dentist can only contain less than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. If you go to a dentist, they can use products containing up to 6% hydrogen peroxide. Be aware that if you buy products online from other countries, the percentage may vary, but this could be very dangerous to use at home with nothing to protect your gums.
Make Sure You Have Healthy Teeth
Something which may not occur to you before teeth bleaching is to make sure that your teeth are healthy enough for whitening. If you go to the dentist to have your teeth whitened, they will do a thorough assessment of your teeth to ensure they are healthy and suitable for whitening. It’s always a good idea to go to the dentist for regular check ups to make sure that your mouth and teeth are healthy. Whitening teeth when your mouth is not healthy could lead to serious further damage and pain.
With GDC approved dentists, Fresh Dental Smile Clinic offers a range of teeth whitening options in a friendly and safe environment. To see if your teeth are suitable, call us to book a free consultation on 01904 623687 and look at our list of treatments here.
