Whitening Toothpaste – The Hidden Dangers
If you drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, or simply do not brush your teeth as often as you could or indeed should, then you will need to reconcile yourself with the fact that you will inevitably suffer from a degree of discoloration and staining of your teeth. Whilst a purely cosmetic issue, this does not mean that the severely detrimental impact and effect it can have on the person in question should ever be trivialised or doubted. Staining of teeth can have a seriously adverse effect on a person’s self-esteem, and it is little wonder then that whitening toothpaste is a product that enjoys a significant number of sales each and every year.
We consumers are fairly lazy when it comes to picking out potential products to assist with our day to day chores, be honest! How many of us simply pick up the first whitening toothpaste pack that readily comes to hand and then simply proceed to purchase it, without actually comparing it to the other products on sale? Exactly. This is true, even of products designed to help with dental problems.
However, there is a steep price to pay whenever we are so careless when purchasing these whitening toothpastes, and I do not just mean the expensive price tag that is attached to them. Dental problems do have a nasty tendency to escalate.
The overwhelming majority of these products are silica based and silica it should be noted is an extremely abrasive substance indeed. It rubs against the surface of our teeth (our enamel) and will over a prolonged period of time cause damage to them and there is a wealth of scientific research that demonstrates a very clear and causal relationship between the usage of tooth whitening products and an increase in the risk of enamel damage and tooth sensitivity. The harmful ingredients in toothpaste it should be noted, are also the ones used to help. Ironic, huh?
Many people will turn around and argue:
“Whitening toothpaste products are much cheaper than professional whitening services offered by a what is the big deal?”
The problem is that the bleaching agent contained in these whitening products (hydrogen peroxide) is exponentially more diluted and less concentrated than you would be exposed to in a professional whitening service. What this means in layman terms is that you will only ever enjoy a very minimal effect at best, with the added disadvantage that the more times you use these products, the more you will be damaging your teeth.
Another counter argument that some people will no doubt raise in relation to the usage of tooth whitening products is: