Question:
Does extended and constant teeth bleaching damage your teeth and gums? Do your teeth go grey?
—Rene from Ontario
Rene,
No, extended bleaching will not damage the health of your teeth or gums. You can do it for months and months, with no damage or adverse effects. The only thing you have to be careful of is gum or tooth irritation. If the gums get irritated or the teeth get sensitive, you should back off in frequency, but you can still keep bleaching—just not as often. There’s never a point where the teeth go grey.
I should add one caveat here. There are some tooth bleaching products you can buy as a consumer that can cause your enamel to become roughened. I tested one of these in an experiment I ran once. The kit started you with a rinse that it turned out contained citric acid, which etched the teeth. This was followed by a paste that contained titanium dioxide, a bright white pigment. Because of the etching, this pigment would adhere to the teeth making them look temporarily whiter. But over time the titanium dioxide wore off, leaving the roughened tooth surface that was now more susceptible to staining. So yes, this product did slight damage to the teeth. But the bleaching systems administered by qualified dentists will not damage your teeth.
-Dr. Hall
Related information:
- General tooth whitening information.
- The oral care section of our stores has many varieties of whitening toothpaste. In fact, just about every toothpaste makes that claim. Learn the facts here.
- Check our referral page for referral to an expert cosmetic dentist who fully understands bleaching.
- Is Zoom whitening the best way to whiten your teeth?
To return to the frequent questions page, click here.
This content was written by Dr. David Hall. Click here to ask Dr. Hall a question.