Is It Safe to Whiten Your Own Teeth in a Home Using Bleached Products Purchased Online?

Bright white teeth are everyone’s dream. But to achieve this, most choose an instant method such as buying teeth whitening products at drug stores or online stores. Can you whiten your teeth at home? Will the results be the same as when whitening teeth at a doctor?

Tooth whitening products on the market contain low-dose hydrogen peroxide
The procedure of whitening teeth at the dentist (whitening or bleaching) generally uses a special gel containing hydrogen peroxide in high doses (about 10%). The teeth whitening gel is not sold freely and must be handled directly by the doctor concerned, may not be used by anyone.

High doses of hydrogen peroxide will immediately work to break down and erode the color plaque that sticks to the teeth, so that the teeth return to their original colors.

However, currently on the market there are many teeth whitening products that contain hydrogen peroxide in lower doses. For example whitening toothpaste, whitening mouthwash, whitening strips (coated sheet gel that is affixed to the teeth row), to a set of teeth whitening equipment (home-bleaching kit) equipped with a medium dose hydrogen peroxide gel and tray (tray).

How to use a home-bleaching kit mimics the procedure of whitening teeth at the dentist, namely by pouring the gel into the dental mold and biting the mold for 30 minutes. After that, release and rinse as usual.

So, is it safe to whiten teeth at home?
The use of home teeth whitening products is safe as long as it is used in the right way, according to the rules of use printed on the packaging label, and not excessive. To be safer, buy products that have BPOM permits. For the record, until this article was written there were no over-the-counter whitening strips in Indonesia with BPOM’s permission.

Is it effective?
In general, various home methods for whitening teeth above can only improve the color of the teeth to teeth 1-2 levels brighter and the results will not last long. Because the content of hydrogen peroxides is small.

You have to repeat the same procedure several times to get satisfying results. Especially if at first the color of your teeth is very dull. You need to be increasingly active in whitening your teeth repeatedly to make it look brighter in color.

Conversely, the results of teeth whitening at the dentist through the bleaching procedure can be brighter and may not need to be done many times because it can last longer for up to 1 year. Of course if you can really maintain your lifestyle.

What is the danger of whitening teeth too much?
Research shows that whitening teeth excessively (whether very often, over the long term, or using too high a dose of bleach) can erode tooth enamel so that the teeth become sensitive and vulnerable to fragility.

The higher the dose of bleach used, the longer the teeth are exposed to these chemicals, and the more teeth bleached, the risk increases. Research also shows that a dose of more than 10% hydrogen peroxide can cause skin irritation and a burning sensation when touched directly by the skin.

Another danger that can arise in teeth whitening procedures at home using a custom tray is if the tray does not fit the shape of your teeth. This can cause gum irritation and there is a risk of ingested gel.

What restrictions should be avoided after using teeth whitener?
As much as possible avoid consumption of colored foods and drinks, such as tea and coffee, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages such as wine a week after whitening teeth. Stop smoking after whitening teeth. Smoking can make teeth turn yellow again.

Then the most important thing is to brush your teeth twice a day, in the morning and at night. If necessary, use whitening toothpaste and mouthwash. Bleach toothpaste can help maintain tooth color after the bleaching process at the doctor.

More is done continuously so that the white color lasts for 1 year or even more.