The Price You Are Paying For Flashing White Teeth!

Hello Fellow ATS readers.

I would like to make people aware of the dangers and expense of (Tooth Whitening).

Unfortunately I do not have the time requires to post various links to articles, including videos and pictures. I shall just endevour to get my message across in my own words, and with my own first hand experience.

The two main ingrediants in your tooth whitening procedures or products will be carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide. These are 'both' (bleaches).

You will find Hydrogen Peroxide in mouthwashes, and in some toothpastes.

I found this link describing Ingredients found in tooth whitening products. The information 'read' (to me) as if it is perfectly 'safe' to be swishing bleach around in ones mouth! and possibly swallowing a little bit here and there ...

eg...

The peroxide breaks down, allowing oxygen into the enamel of your teeth, bleaching them. Used properly and in safe concentrations, it will not damage the enamel or any other part of your teeth.

Products contain different strengths of peroxide. Those with higher amounts of peroxide can produce faster, more dramatic whitening of your teeth, however they also increase the risk of creating temporary but uncomfortable tooth sensitivity.

So, basically they are saying that there is no damage to the enamel.... But but, then go on to say that 'higher' amounts of peroxide (which will give you flashing white teeth) WILL unfortunately cause (sensitivity).

Sensitivity = Damage To The Enamel

Lower amounts of peroxide carry less risk of unpleasant side-effects, but they do not whiten as quickly. Some products are PH buffered, to reduce the likelihood and severity of side effects.

unpleasant side-effects = Damage To The Enamel.


A couple of months ago, I made an appointment with my Dentist to get my teeth whitened. I didnt feel that good about having a 'bleach' going through my system, and voiced my concerns to the receptionist, whom I noticed had flashing white teeth

She assured me that the 'teeth guards' they 'custom' make ensure that none of the bleach would be swallowed, or go into the system. I made the appointment,, but with trepidation, as something was just telling me it was 'wrong'. Plus it was going to cost around AU$600 lol.

I walked down the street a way, and there is a tooth whitening place on the corner with posters of people with flashing white teeth on the windows,,, so I decided to 'shop around' a bit.

I went in and discovered that I could buy a 'tooth whitening' Pen for around AU$160, and just 'paint' the substance on my teeth. This seemed cheaper, and the receptionist 'assured' me that it would work., but walking away... It still didn't feel 'right' to me.

Onto the computer,,, and hours later... I have discovered that pretty much ALL tooth whitening processes have bleach in them

I also discovered that 'bleach' (attacks) the enamel and causes permanent damage to your teeth. I wondered about this fact., If 'bleaching' your teeth 'attacks' enamel.... does this mean that you will have to 'keep' bleaching your teeth, for surely enamel is a 'protection'. Eliminate that, and what do you have.... ??

I will answer that question... You have 'Crowns'... and crowns are very expensive!! -- who is benefiting from this $$ procedure. ,, why, your dentist of course..!! -- the very person who is causing the damage in the first place.

Off I went back to my dentist to cancel my appointment. There were two dental technicians standing at the front desk as I canceled. They politely asked me the reason for canceling??... I told them that I had done a bit of research and discovered that tooth bleaching attacks the enamel. I waited for their response,... but there was none. I then asked them if this was true?.... and to my surprise they said "Yes"....!

.... that was all I needed.

A few weeks later I caught up with a girlfriend who told me that her teeth had been 'ruined' from tooth bleaching, and they were always sensitive. I felt sorry for her, but wondered why ... why there is such a 'huge' market for tooth whitening. Do people just 'suffer' for the sake of flashing white teeth....

Why? is there absolutely 'no', or very little information about (not only) the dangers of 'bleaching' your teeth... but also god knows what harm these substance are doing to our internal system. For surely it is impossible to 'avoid' ingesting them.

[edit on

Good thread OP and a very valid arugement!!

People will do anything to look good these days and at any price and usually unaware of the long term effects!

I use sodium bicarbonate. Tastes bad but keeps them nice and sparkly!!

Yeah me too. A lil bathroom dixie cup with baking soda in one, and hydrogen peroxide/water mix in the other and I dip my flosser brush in the perox/water then the baking soda. Brush lightly, redipping. Rinse WELL and for a long time. If it begins to feel tender or your gums sting, STOP.

My teeth are gleeming white, no damage and it cost is mere pennies.

I'm glad you posted this. I care too much about my looks and have some crest white strips in my bathroom as I type. After having my braces removed in March, I wanted my new perfects to be whiter.

I used my invisalign-type retainer to put the strips on my teeth. I used 3 sets of them, hoping the horrible tooth pain would go way, after the 3rd time I quit. My gums would get dark red and burn, and my teeth would become so sensitive they hurt like hell when I took the strips off.

Pain means something, discomfort means something. My body was saying damage was being done. A great way to keep your teeth white is to not drink coffee or sodas.

reply to post by suzque66


I do exactly the same thing! SNAP

I also use the Hydrogen Peroxide Vol 20 in a dilution of 1 cap HP to 5 caps of water as a mouth rinse.

I only buy herbal toothpaste, non flouridated, to which I add Bicarb of soda.

I make my own Aromatherapy mouth rinses too. Far more efficient, benificial and safer than the harsh chemical garbage, which is carcinogenic.

So I have a far healthier and pleasant oral hygene system and save lots of money!

reply to post by BenIndaSun


Maya, haha at SNAP. nice

and BenIndaSun

imagine anything that you cannot leave on your face/skin for longer than 15 seconds without burning should NOT be on your gums for long either.

If your gums are red or swollen, dump whatever you bought and never try it again. Someone can have the greatest, whitest teeth in the world but if you gums are unhealthy or damaged then those teeth won't last long anyways (weakened/large socket gums allow too many bacteria to get deep into the jawbone, thus dislodging teeth).

Give your gums time to heal with a weak salt water solution and then do the method I mentioned above only after gums have healed. Remember what mama told ya:

IF IT HURTS, DON'T DO IT!

* and sure dentists won't mind if you damage your gums or teeth by buying the over the counter cheater kits, eventually you will be back for them to fix the damage..ching ching. (except gums, ya can't fix gums).

[edit on 18-7-2009 by suzque66]

[edit on 18-7-2009 by suzque66]

reply to post by Jacqua

Hi there ;cool:
I've used the tooth whitening method you described for about 2 yrs or so now.
My teeth have'nt been particularly sensitive.
I dunno on this one---maybe there is a motive here by dentists to get more cash in, but it's probably more to do with the cost of the whitening gel ??
Once you start and notice the results--you continue, hence more dough coming their way on that.

Originally posted by maya27

I make my own Aromatherapy mouth rinses too. Far more efficient, benificial and safer than the harsh chemical garbage, which is carcinogenic.

hmm... I like the sound of that 'mouthwash'.... clever girl (I think you are a girl lol) have you ever thought of marketing that,,,? I am sure Ive never seen anything like that even in the 'health food stores',, which I frequent

Originally posted by suzque66
Yeah me too. A lil bathroom dixie cup with baking soda in one, and hydrogen peroxide/water mix in the other and I dip my flosser brush in the perox/water then the baking soda. Brush lightly, redipping. Rinse WELL and for a long time. If it begins to feel tender or your gums sting, STOP.

My teeth are gleeming white, no damage and it cost is mere pennies.

I'm going to try your way.

I used the auqufresh whitening trays and they made my gums burn. My teeth were whiter, but my gums hurt!

Thanks for the info OP!

reply to post by uk today


Thats interesting... If you dont mind me asking,,, do you mean that you use the 'mouth-guard' (custom made by dentist); add the bleach and then sleep with it overnight type of thing?

I felt sorry for her, but wondered why ... why there is such a 'huge' market for tooth whitening.

People see celebrities with fake smiles and are made t believe this is a good thing. So they try and copy.

reply to post by suzque66


Thanks for the advice! Yes, I quit using them, guess I should trash them. I read the package just to learn more about them, and I thought it was suspicious in how they go out of their way to say the product is safe for enamel.

I'm personally undecided about fluorine products and use. I have Tom's toothepaste and fluoridated. Any good websites on fluorine out there?

Personally, I avoid the dentist. I went to the dentist once as a kid, and my teeth were fine. As an adult, I went because the orthodontist said I had to if I wanted braces. So I went, and it started out fine. They cleaned my teeth, and then in subsequent visits they would say things like they were going to watch certain teeth. I would ask them what exactly was wrong with it and what I needed to do so they could quit "watching" it, and I got fuzzy answers at best.

Dentist's are quacks that have no incentive to keep our teeth in good condition. Pediatric dentists are creating future patients for cosmetic dentists.

The only thing they could watch for is if they saw potential bone density loss on xrays of your jaw = caused from loose gum pocket bacteria. (or it is genetic) but preventable.

The only way to prevent that is strong, pink, and TIGHT gums. If your gums are healthy (pink is the key, not red, not whitening), have good blood circulation and not dry then your teeth will get along just fine until you are 80. A clean tongue works miracles too. Most of the nastiest of bacteria hide there even while you brush your teeth. Brushing your teeth is not to 'remove' or kill bacteria anyways. You brush to simply 'disorganize' the bacteria, move them off the area they were having a good time nibbling and latching onto. Their leftovers leave the scales of plaque etc. Even if you have no toothpaste, just simple water and a soft brushing is very good for your gums.

But, if stains are your main concern, remember that anything that causes that stain is likely a protein based plant derivitive (wine, coffee, spices) and natural. The simple water brushing with a good tongue scraping to remove the enzymes should be plenty to rid of stains. If not, the baking soda/perox should do it, again..do not overdo.

Ask your dentist if you can have a tongue scraper and a brush flosser for free. Trust me, after you use one, it feeeeels soooo good after (maybe it will hurt till you bleed the first time or so), but after that it will become addictive. Just brush LIGHTLY around the gums while you watch tv so it isn't so much of a chore. Just doing that will make your teeth whiter from the saliva and mixture recipe I mentioned.

Originally posted by Jacqua

Originally posted by maya27

I make my own Aromatherapy mouth rinses too. Far more efficient, benificial and safer than the harsh chemical garbage, which is carcinogenic.

hmm... I like the sound of that 'mouthwash'.... clever girl (I think you are a girl lol) have you ever thought of marketing that,,,? I am sure Ive never seen anything like that even in the 'health food stores',, which I frequent

Thank you. I'm a Clinical Aromatherapist. I make lots of excellent and healthy stuff for a lot less than you would pay in the stores. LOL

I make creams and blends etc specifically tailored to the persons needs.

If I ever move to the country, I will think about starting up my own little cottage industry. I have done a lot of work in area of HIV/AIDS. I see very positive effects of prpoer use of essential oils for all kinds of ailments and in maintaining wellbeing and hygene generally.

I would rather encourage people to educate themselves as to all the nasty stuff that is in these store bought toiletries and assure them that it is relatively simple to make healthy and wonderful alternatives for a fraction of the price.

I think lots of people are hypnotised by advertising and packaging. Pity, as they are, for the most part depositing the cosmetic equivelent of junk food into their system.

It's the same with their health, they hand their power over to the medical profession and drug companies at the drop of a hat.

There's a good pdf that I downloaded, states the lab tested pros of essential oils against the cons of flouride etc in toothpastes. I don't know how to download here.

I will look it out and post more info on it soon as I have time.

Originally posted by BenIndaSun
A great way to keep your teeth white is to not drink coffee or sodas.

Yes lol... but if you find that hard, then you could brush your teeth after every coffee, or coke... know that sounds like a hassel... but yeah,,, it probably wouldnt be such a bad thing...

Originally posted by maya27

I would rather encourage people to educate themselves as to all the nasty stuff that is in these store bought toiletries and assure them that it is relatively simple to make healthy and wonderful alternatives for a fraction of the price.

I think lots of people are hypnotised by advertising and packaging. Pity, as they are, for the most part depositing the cosmetic equivelent of junk food into their system.

very true.... well, its great that you make your own stuff anyway... I have met a wonderful sweet person on here (jackieps1975) and she makes all her own natural product as well... I think there is a huge need for people like you guys,,, because people are just pretty much 'uneducated' about these things..

the trouble is... well here in Austs anyway.. there are not even close to enough health stores, and alternative health products... you have to search, and search... hmm

Originally posted by suzque66


Ask your dentist if you can have a tongue scraper and a brush flosser for free. Trust me, after you use one, it feeeeels soooo good after (maybe it will hurt till you bleed the first time or so), but after that it will become addictive. Just brush LIGHTLY around the gums while you watch tv so it isn't so much of a chore. Just doing that will make your teeth whiter from the saliva and mixture recipe I mentioned.

LoL... yeah... ASK your dentist... its amazing how many 'freebies' suddenly materialise from your dentist when you 'ask'...

good idea the tougue thing... might give that a try

I would be very interested to hear about anybody else with testimonies, etc concerning their experience with either bleaching or tooth-whitening..

Also if anybody has any ideas about how to go about whitening your teeth without using any bleaching compounds ? thanx

I have to admit I am a smoker (for 25+years) and I love my coffee.

At regular dental appointments the hygenists said my teeth were a 1 on their color chart. They had no idea I was even a smoker until I told them. Buttttt, the gums, uhhg, that is where the damage will show first, he said smoking not only dries out the mouth (bacteria frenzy when that happens) but it will cause gum pockets and losening from the tooth. That scared me...because genetically my parents and great grandparents had dentures at a young age. Although that could be caused by diet (the depression etc) but, all the same, I try to rinse with a mouthwash as often as possible, sometimes even brushing lightly with it.

Now where is that thread with that 'I quit smoking' guy? haha

reply to post by suzque66


Be careful with the mouthwash. Alcohol drys things out, like the gums. I know it's antiseptic, but don't over do it.

Also, drinking soda/coffee with straws can keep the fluid from touching the front of your teeth, just take little sips! I drink my coffee with the little stirrers