The Unfortunate Risks Of Tooth Whitening Gels


There are many considerations to take before deciding on whether or not you should use a professional tooth whitening gel. With rewards come risks and you must decide if you’d like to take the chance. It is worth knowing that not everyone who attempts to whiten their teeth with gels comes away a satisfied customer. I have outlined the major risks and concerns in my other posts, so feel free to brush up on them before reading the rest of this entry.

How bad do you want whiter teeth? Are you willing to put up with a gel mouth tray that might not fit all the way onto your mouth resulting in slight burns to your gum line? This can result in scarred and tainted membrane colors which are incredibly painful as well as unsightly to look. This is definitely not a very common problem with tooth whitening gels but cases have been reported and you definitely should know what CAN happen, despite how unlikely the chances are it may occur. It is always best to be made aware of the worst case scenarios so in the unlikely event that they do occur you will know what to do and how to handle the situation. Being familiar with unlikely scenarios is definitely a helping hand when it comes to remedying the problem.

Are you comfortable putting the sensitivity of your teeth on the line in exchange for their overall physical appearance? Which would you rather have, a nice set of teeth which are pretty to look at or the chance that they MAY become sensitive. Even if the odds aren’t very high, something as serious as sensitive teeth will play a huge part in your life, making eating a negative experience. It’s certainly possible that eating your favorite foods might cause slight discomfort. Beauty has a price when using tooth whitening gels.

It’s also possible that even if you do get that bright, white smile that you’ve always dreamed about it will fade away after only a few weeks. Talk about not getting what you paid for! Yep, certain studies conducted have displayed that some treatments for bleaching at home can actually make your teeth darken after 30 days have gone past. That’s right, results are not guaranteed to be permanent and you could easily lose the glow on your pearly whites even with the aid of a tooth whitening gel.

Not only can your smile reduce in white glow, but the enamel coating your chompers might also be weakened. This is an unfortunate side effect called teeth whitening rebound. It’s not a common side effect and studies over long periods have proven that it’s not a significant amount. But even so, this risk is something that should be highly considered and taken into account before a final decision has been made.

How old are you? If you aren’t 18 or older, these procedures probably aren’t for you. Children’s teeth still have undeveloped nerves which need to fully grow and mature before being tampered with by a professional tooth whitening gel. Hopefully your children won’t need the aid of these gels anyway as they are still young enough to fix their teeth with simpler methods. In addition to the still growing nerves in the teeth, many children won’t be able to go on with these procedures because they are still wearing braces and it is not recommended that you undergo teeth whitening while wearing braces. It is unlikely that a child would need the assistance of laser teeth whitening procedures anyway.

Are you currently carrying a baby? Pregnant mothers are also not recommended for this process. Mothers who are also still lactating may be at extra risk as well. Please talk to a doctor before committing to any course of action.

These are all considerations that you need to heavily weigh before deciding on whitening your teeth. I highly suggest that you do all of your research before using any type of tooth whitening gel.