Can teeth whitening damage Enamel?
Know can teeth whitening damage enamel
The answer is NO
Teeth whitening involves bleaching your teeth to make it lighter than the existing colour
Teeth whitening does not damage or harm the enamel layer
The tooth has 3 layers. Outer layer being the Enamel, the middle layer Dentin and the cementum
Enamel is the hardest the tissue in the human body. Most of the food stains are taken up by the inner layer and dentin and causes discolouration.
Tooth colouration
Why do teeth change colour or become darker? The inner portion of teeth normally darkens over a period of time and few personal habits – such as tobacco use or drinking beverages like coffee, tea or wine – can cause staining. Certain medications also can discolour your teeth.
To bleach or not to?
Tooth whitening is successful in most of the patients. Yellow-coloured teeth respond well to whitening process while brownish-coloured teeth don’t respond as well. Stains that are caused by taking tetracycline medicine or ingestion of water containing more fluoride most likely will not be changed by tooth whitening.
Whitening process
Whitening products can cause temporary sensitivity of the tooth. As the whitening gel undergoes its natural process the tubules in the enamel layer are left open and exposed, known as dehydration. It is important to avoid consumption of any food or drink containing colour while it is dehydrated or it will absorb any colour of food or liquid it is exposed to and stain the tooth. At this time it is also advised to stay away from extremely hot and cold along with sweet and salty food, to avoid possible irritation of the nerve tissue of the tooth.
Post whitening effect
The dehydrated tooth is identified by white spots on the surface. As the tooth becomes re-hydrated the white spots will eventually disappear.
Will teeth whitening be effective on false teeth?
Teeth whitening doesn’t work on removable dentures, crowns, any teeth fillings or veneers.
Dental Planet is a centre for Advanced and Aesthetic Dentistry located at Mysore, India. You can write to us at dentalplanetmysore@gmail.com or visit us at our website