Myths About Teeth Whitening Toothpaste

The teeth whitening toothpaste business is prospering because our teeth get discoloured and stained mainly due to some aspects of our everyday lifestyle, such as drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, or even simply not brushing your teeth as often as you could or should. Although discolored or stained teeth are purely an issue of aesthetics, it can still have a serious damaging effect on the self-esteem of the person with the said teeth and should not be treated or taken lightly. Unsurprisingly, annual sales figures for whitening toothpaste are quite significant for each and every year.

To be honest, consumers are fairly lackadaisical when it comes to choosing teeth whitening toothpaste, or any other product which assists us in routine day-to-day household tasks . Many of us would just simple reach out at random for the first whitening toothpaste pack and proceed to the checkout counter without bothering to compare it with other similar products on offer.

We may not realise it but there are serious consequences attached to such careless purchases, and not just in terms of the relatively expensive cost of these whitening toothpastes. Unwittingly, we may also be opening the door for dental problems to enter the picture.

Silica is an extremely abrasive substance which can be found in most whitening toothpastes. When rubbed against teeth enamel (the teeth surface) over a prolonged period of time, it can lead to significant damage of the enamel. The usage of tooth whitening products has been clearly linked to an increase in the risk of enamel damage and tooth sensitivity according to a number of scientific studies. It is rather ironic that the harmful ingredients in whitening toothpaste are also the ones responsible for its effectiveness.

However, many people would argue that this point is moot. For them, this isn't really a big deal because teeth whitening toothpaste products are a much cheaper alternative than professional teeth whitening services offered by dentists.

One problem is that concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (the bleaching agent) used in these whitening toothpaste products is much less effective because it is exponentially more diluted than you would be exposed to in a professional whitening service. Simply put, whitening toothpaste may require several applications as its effect is minimal at best. This carries the added unwelcome disadvantage of higher risk of damage to your teeth  the more often you use these products.

It should be noted that similar to teeth whitening toothpaste, ordinary fluoride toothpastes also contains abrasive ingredients, but at much less concentrated levels, meaning that the degree of damage caused to your teeth by the latter is much, much less and can be disregarded as its benefits far outweigh its risks.

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