Tooth Whitening Products

Do home tooth whitening products work?

Having removed wisdom teeth for trivial reasons in thousands of people, dentists have now come up with one more gimmick on how to make more money. The latest fraud being perpetrated in the field of dentistry is sale of tooth whitening products. Every where there are ads and products for sale on how to whiten teeth. Almost every week, there is a new toothpaste which can whiten teeth. At the end of a dental visit, one can rest assured, someone in the dental office will recommend a tooth whitening procedure or take home product.

While everyone would love to have bright white teeth, not everyone can afford the expensive procedures done by the dentist. For those gullible (and stupid) mortals with little money, there are now home based tooth whitening products on sale.



The majority of these products are dispensed by the dentist and it is claimed that with regular use, everyone will have white teeth like Britney Spears.

But do the home tooth whitening products work?

Researchers recently evaluated data and looked at the effectiveness of over the counter tooth whitening products. The looked at the duration of use and the outcome.

The overall conclusion about tooth whitening was that the strips that contained 5-6% hydrogen peroxide were more effective than gel in tray that contained caramide peroxide. The tooth whitening was mild in most cases. More important, mild to moderate tooth sensitivity and gingival irritation were also common. The whitening strips with high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide caused more tooth sensitivity than the gels.

However, before all of you consumers rush of to the nearest pharmacy or dentist to buy your bleaching agent, one important point that you need to know. All the studies on tooth whitening were sponsored by the manufacturers and it appears that there was a significant bias in evaluation of the products. 

At the moment, there are no independent studies to assess the claims made by manufacturers. Anecdotal reports on the Web indicate that the majority of people who used home tooth whitening products were not pleased after spending a fortune on the chemicals.

The best advice for people who would like to whiten their teeth at home is to maintain good oral hygiene, brushing teething regularly, avoiding too much coffee and not smoking. Stop looking for a product to whiten your teeth- the field of dentistry like medicine, is a business, where consumers are often sold bogus products and recommended unnecessary procedures.