Does Teeth Whitening Damage Your Enamel?
Teeth-bleaching or teeth whitening has become a popular procedure; it’s painless, quick and affordable. But the question that also goes through every patient’s head is, is teeth-bleaching damaging your enamel? Let’s see the answer…
What’s the enamel?
The enamel is a protective film that covers each one of your teeth. It’s considered the hardest tissue in the human body and it’s formed by tiny tubules that cannot be seen without a microscope.
How do teeth get stained?
Your enamel isn’t what gets stained. Actually, it’s the subsequent tissue that’s being affected, the one that absorbs the stains; because toothpaste is not meant to enter the enamel tubules, it cannot reach those stains.
How do whitening products work?
Whitening products, on the contrary of toothpaste, are designed to trespass the outer enamel layer and reach the inner tissue. In doing this, the bleaching gel and other whitening products flow through the enamel tubules.
The application of UV light is what activates these chemicals and makes them flow until they reach and clear out the stains. But during this period where the bleaching chemicals are doing their job, the tubules are open and vulnerable - this is called dehydration.
That’s why we feel some tooth sensitivity when the bleaching process has just occurred. This makes people believe teeth-bleaching damages your enamel. Also, during this process, your teeth are more vulnerable to get stained when consuming dark foods or drinks. It’s recommended that you should avoid these darker foods/drinks if you want your teeth bleaching to be successful.
Finally, does teeth-bleaching damage your enamel or not?
As we mentioned before, some people think their enamel is being damaged because they feel some sensitivity. But once again, this is only a temporal situation due to the chemical’s reaction, but as soon as the bleaching procedure ends, the sensitivity will cease.
Once any bleaching procedure is done, your saliva will complete the rehydration process and the necessary nutrients will flow through the tubules until they’re sealed again.
So, the answer is no. Teeth-bleaching is not going to damage your enamel, if performed properly. Of course, this is under normal circumstances; be sure not to visit the dental office for teeth whitening too often as it may begin to affect you negatively rather than positively.
Are you a candidate for teeth whitening treatment? I recommend that you see a dentist as soon as you can if you’re looking to have a brighter smile in a short amount of time.
