Women do a lot of painful things to maintain their beauty, waxing their legs and plucking their eyebrows in order to look and feel beautiful. But there is now a new trend that gaining popularity that is not only painful, but potentially harmful. Some women have started to obsessively bleach their teeth, as often as once a month, in order to maintain a brilliantly white smile at all times.
When did this trend start?
As with anything like this, it is hard to pinpoint an exact date. However, if you look at sales of teeth whitening products you can see that they began to pick up in the mid-90s. Since 1996 teeth whitening product sales have grown by over 300%, and the trend has picked up even more steam recently.
Why are people getting hooked?
Reasons vary, of course, but many women report that they do it to boost their confidence. Having a great smile is a wonderful asset, while a yellowed or tarnished smile can be tough to hide. Other women report that they are trying to emulate their favorite celebrity, which is problematic because pictures are touched up and often represent unrealistic standards.
Why do dentists allow repeated whitening?
They don’t. Many dentists do offer teeth whitening, but they would never allow a patient to do it multiple times a year which puts your teeth at risk. If you go to the dentist to have your teeth whitened they will most likely make a mold of your teeth, fill it with hydrogen-peroxide gel, and let your teeth sit in it for about 45 minutes. They will then give you the tray and a few syringes of hydrogen peroxide gel to finish the procedure yourself over the next few days.
So they do it at home?
For women who are addicted to whitening there are cheap online options that allow you to do the whole procedure at home. However, they are not nearly as good. For starters, if you do not use a professionally molded tray to hold the gel, then there will almost certainly be leakage that allowed it to come in contact with your gums. This can cause a range of issues from swollen gums to hyper-sensitive teeth. Another problem with home whitening is that many people will keep the hydrogen peroxide gel on their teeth for longer than 45 minutes. They think that this will increase the whitening, but they are mistaken. Instead it just leads to weakened teeth and irritated gums.
If you whiten too frequently, you can wear away the enamel that coats the outside of your teeth. Once this happens you will expose the dentine, which will, ironically, look yellowish no matter what you do. Instead of over whitening, you should focus on taking good care of your teeth. If you whiten every once in a while, but remember to brush and floss regularly, as well as avoid foods and drinks that can stain teeth, you should be able to achieve a fantastically white smile that is healthy as well as happy.
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.