Those Little White Lies About Teeth Whitening

Little White Lie #1

The Lie: The best way to get whiter teeth is to use whitening toothpastes.

The Truth: No one would argue that you shouldn't brush your teeth regularly and whitening toothpaste certainly couldn't hurt. Brushing your teeth is vital to the health of your teeth as well as being a basic tenet of good hygiene.

However, the ingredients in whitening toothpastes just don't spend enough time in direct contact with your teeth to provide the kind of results that people tend to believe that they have.

The saliva washes any of the whitening agents away quickly, keeping them from staying in contact for a duration long enough to produce an effect.

Additionally, whitening toothpastes are formulated with whitening agents in concentrations far too low to have much of an impact even supposing that these ingredients weren't washed away quickly by your saliva.

Whitening toothpaste is a great idea but until some radically different type of toothpaste is developed, you won't see any results from these toothpastes that any other type of toothpaste can't produce.

Little White Lie #2

The Lie: Having your dentist whiten your teeth is the best way to get a brighter, whiter smile.

The Truth: Yes, it is true that your dentist can help you to get whiter teeth. However, you don't have to go to your dentist to get the same effect.

The whitening agent which your dentist uses is almost invariably either Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide: the same whitening agents used in do-it-yourself tooth whitening systems.

The degree to which any tooth whitening procedure is effective is dependent on how concentrated the whitening gel is and the amount of time that the gel spends in contact with the surface of the teeth.

You can get the same results by using a whitening solution with a high concentration of peroxide for a short time (this is the general rule with a whitening procedure performed by a dentist) or using a whitening solution containing a lower concentration of peroxide for a longer time (the way that at home teeth whitening systems usually work).

Of course, there is one other thing to consider here: price. The cost of an office visit and whitening procedure performed by your dentist is far higher than the cost of a whitening treatment which you can administer yourself at home.

The results are the same, but the price of doing it yourself is usually 25% or less than the cost of having your dentist perform the procedure. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise to you that more and more people are choosing home tooth whitening systems.

Little White Lie #3

The Lie: All tooth whiteners produce the same results.

The Truth: There is a lot of difference between tooth whitening solutions. Some products are very effective and others are nearly worthless.

Where these products differ is in the whitening agents which are used. Different products may use one or the other of the two most common whitening agents - but the real difference is in the concentration of these agents, which is what really separates an effective product from one which doesn't get results.

Before you choose an at home whitening product, you should examine the available alternatives, keeping in mind what type of staining you're seeking to reverse and how severe this staining is.

Little White Lie #4

The Lie: Tooth whitening is harmful to the teeth and gums.

The Truth: Tooth bleaching does not harm your teeth or your gums. The whitening agent is applied directly to your teeth and a process of oxidation begins which dissolves the deposits of organic materials which stain or discolor teeth.

No harm is done to the teeth or the gums - it is possible that the teeth may temporarily become sensitive, though this is a short-lived side effect which can be eliminated by reducing the time that the agent is applied to the teeth.

Some whitening gels can also cause minor irritation to the gums - this usually happens because the whitening trays used in the procedure are poorly fitted. This is why using an at home tooth whitening system which uses custom-fitted whitening trays is always the best way to go.

Little White Lie #5

The Lie: Using whitening strips is the best way to get whiter teeth.

The Truth: There's that word "best" again. However, it is not the case that whitening strips are the best, or even among the best methods of tooth whitening.

The problem is that no two people have the same teeth, meaning that a whitening strip can't conform to the surface of your teeth perfectly. Grooves and depressions in the teeth aren't affected and even in the best case scenario, a whitening strip can only get the front of your teeth.

You'll get uneven whitening and very unattractive "stripes" of stained teeth - something which can actually look worse than before you started using the strips!

Little White Lie #6

The Lie: Thermoform trays are cheaper and work just as well as custom whitening tray.

The Truth: In reality, you do need a custom whitening tray to get the best results. You wouldn't assume that someone else's dentures would fit you properly, would you?

A custom tray properly fits your teeth, unlike a whitening strip or a thermoform tray, which leaves unattractive stripes of staining and discoloration where they don't completely stay in contact with your teeth.

A custom tray can also prevent gum irritation by keeping the whitening gel from leaking out of the tray - providing more efficient whitening and less potential for irritation.

Little White Lie #7

The Lie: Paint-on tooth whiteners are the best at home tooth whitening products since they're the easiest to use.

The Truth: If only it were so easy! These products sound like a good idea, but they have the same problem as whitening toothpastes - your saliva will tend to wash away the whitening agent. These products also usually contain very low concentrations of the active ingredient to prevent irritation to your gums and lips.

Other paint on tooth whiteners are basically whitewash for the teeth and do nothing to actually remove stains and discoloration.

Little White Lie #8

The Lie: Teeth whitening systems which use electroluminescence in conjunction with a whitening gel work better than systems which only use a gel because of the high-tech light technology activating the ingredients of the gel

The Truth: As it happens, these products are neither new and high tech nor are they effective. Electroluminescence may look impressive, but it's the same technology used in many children's toys and to provide back lighting for cell phones.

The electroluminescence definitely looks cool, but does nothing to make the whitening agents work better - it is a marketing ploy and nothing but.

Little White Lie #9

The Lie: Tooth bleaching produces the same results for everybody.

The Truth: Everyone's teeth are as individual as they are - and so are their stains and discoloration. There are stains which are more easily bleached away than others.

Yellowish teeth are the easiest to whiten, brownish teeth harder to bleach and grayish stains are the hardest of all to whiten through bleaching.

Little White Lie #10

The Lie: Swallowing tooth whitening gel is harmful

The Truth: Any tooth whitening procedure involves swallowing some of the whitening gel used. It doesn't matter what type of system you choose, the chances of swallowing a small amount of whitening gel are 100%.

There is no risk of injury from swallowing these miniscule quantities of tooth whitening solutions; they may not taste fantastic, but you won't be doing yourself any harm.


Before you buy teeth whitening products online please be sure to go to Teeth Whitening Trays for information you need to know about health issues when using teeth whitening products.Also see more information on where to find the best whitening strips.