There’s few cosmetic problems people face in this modern age that a medical procedure or product cannot fix. If you have acne, you can take a wide range of medications and receive a few types of professional skin treatments.
If you need to fight a quick battle against the bulge, liposuction is always there for you. If your eyes go bad, LASIK can set you back on track. And if years of coffee, cigarettes and lapsed brushing habits leave your teeth looking a few shades off pearly white, you can fix that with a slew of whiteners on the market.
Be careful, though – there is such a thing as too much whitening.
If you’re one of the many people out there with a less than perfect smile, you may look around at everyone else’s white teeth and wonder why genetics didn’t bless you or why others do not struggle to keep their teeth white. But don’t spend too much time on that thought.
According to statistics from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), residents of the US alone spend in excess of $1.4 billion every single year on teeth whitening products.
Simply put, that means millions upon millions of people are using teeth whiteners to jazz up their chompers! And that number does not even include all the trips taken to the dentist’s office for professional procedures.
Some people can absolutely become addicted to teeth whitening, so make sure you’re using the products as suggested and are not abusing them. It may seem rather trite, but whitener abuse can irreparably damage your gums and teeth.
Risks Associated with Over-Whitening
Over-whitening, depending on the product used, can speed up receding gum lines and can cause sensitivity. And if you have an open area on your tooth, like a cavity, the bleach from a product can travel inside and potentially hit the nerve, thus causing the tooth to die. Dead teeth are brown and there’s no coming back from that.
Always make sure that you’re limiting OTC whitener kits to six-month cycles, and take it easy with whitener toothpastes, as they can be very harsh.
Signs You May be Over-Whitening
- Sensitivity of your tooth enamel
- Hot and cold sensitivity with your teeth
- A bluish translucent ring around the edges of your teeth
- Red, blotchy irritated gums
A lot of the over-the-counter whitening products today are using ingredients that aren’t as harsh as when whiteners first arrived on the scene. But most are still using bleach as an ingredient to get your teeth white. Bleach can cause problems for your teeth if you overuse it, no matter how often you brush, floss and rinse.
Always make sure that you’re not abusing whitening products. If you need to use whiteners often, then you may need to give up other habits that are causing discoloration in your teeth.