It’s January and winter white is on our minds… so let’s talk about white teeth. Having white
teeth can make us feel more confident about our smiles. The same is largely true throughout
human history. We’d like to start by saying that we do not recommend teeth whitening for kids
under age 14. If your kids do have discoloration, make sure they’re brushing for a full two
minutes twice a day, and visiting our office every six months.
Tooth discoloration is caused by many factors: aging, diet, foods that stain like coffee, soda, and
wine, smoking, dental hygiene, medications, diseases, and genetic factors. People throughout
history have gotten creative to achieve a whiter smile. Some Ancient Egyptians would try to
whiten their teeth as a status symbol. They would mix ground pumice with white vinegar and rub
it on their teeth with a frayed stick. Romans used human urine on their teeth to whiten them.
The ammonia in the urine had a slight lightening effect on the teeth. We definitely do NOT
recommend doing this! So gross!
In the 17th century when barbers performed most dental work, they would rough up the tooth
surface with a file and then apply nitric acid to the teeth to whiten them. This process happens
to also dramatically increase the likelihood of decay. But they didn’t know that at the time.
In the 19th century, dentists were experimenting treating gum disease with hydrogen peroxide.
They discovered that applying hydrogen peroxide to gums also had a whitening effect on the
teeth.
In the 1960s more experimentation was done with hydrogen peroxide and teeth. It was
discovered that soaking extracted teeth in peroxide overnight whitened the teeth dramatically.
The first real tooth bleaching began in 1989. Dr. Haywood created a carbamide peroxide gel for
his patients to put in night mouth guards. His patients were directed to sleep with the gel on for
10-14 nights to whiten their teeth. Today tooth whitening is a big market and there are a
plethora of products and treatments but they are not all effective. Whitening toothpastes and
mouthwashes have not been proven effective. Some whitening toothpastes are extra abrasive
and can actually harm your teeth.
Laser and LED light whitening are really just marketing gimmicks. Studies have been done
where half the mouth was treated with bleach gel and light and the other half with only bleach.
Both sides of the mouth whitened to the same degree so there was no benefit from utilizing the
light.
We only recommend carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide bleaching gels.
If you have more questions, as always, give us a call!