How Do Teeth Whitening Mouthwashes Work

by thebeautybrains on October 25, 2006

Emma Wants White:
Hi! I love the site & am an avid reader! I am very interested in comparing ingredients between products nowadays thanks to your blog. My question is, is there a difference between using those whitening mouthwashes, and just swishing some hydrogen peroxide around your mouth? Since usually the first or second ingredient is peroxide that I can buy for less than $1.50 for a huge bottle, compared to the $6+ for these whitening mouthwashes, I was just curious.

Teeth

The White Brain, uh, the Right Brain, Responds:
Smile Emma! We think the bigger question here is: do these mouthwashes really whiten your teeth? According to the ADA, professional toothwhitening is the way to go. Gee, what a surprise, the American Dental Association is firmly coming down on the side of paying dentists to do all your teeth whitening. But wait, perhaps we’re too cynical too soon. They also say that there are peroxide-based whitening products that you can buy over the counter and use at home!

Specifically, there are two ADA approved ways to whiten your teeth: you can bleach the stains (which is what whitening strips do) or you can physically abrade them (which is what toothpaste does). There’s no mention of whitening mouthwashes – why do you think that is?

Probably because mouthwashes can’t deliver a high enough concentration of the bleaching agent for a long enough period of time without damaging the tissue in the rest of your mouth. Remember, strips and toothpaste are applied directly to your teeth; mouthwash touches every where in your mouth.

There doesn’t seem to by anything wrong with using a “whitening” mouthwash, it just seems unlikely that it will be very effective – at least not as effective as the other methods. And the same goes for gargling with hydrogen peroxide.

Nster.com

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

Ales February 4, 2007 at 7:07 pm

Interesting, there are many talks about hydrogen peroxide. I found also a tips about Gly-oxide and Bicarbonate of soda.
http://dent.info.md/dental-care/easy-ways-to-the-tooth-whitening-by-yourself/
(There is also way with raw spinach :)

Are they useful too?
How do you think?

pcwork April 25, 2007 at 11:34 am

Commercial tooth whiteners use hydrogen peroxide and
are expensive and inconvenient. A cheap and natural
tooth whitening home remedy uses few strawberries
but certain precautions have to be followed. details
available at http://tinyurl.com/ep7yg

abdul July 13, 2007 at 11:46 am

Good information ! Thanks

Angie January 18, 2008 at 11:46 pm

This is a good info !!!! instead of using mouthwashes if we use tooth whitening products it will give some good results.

White Light Refills September 17, 2008 at 10:45 am

Most of the stains and problems in teeth may be caused by tobacco, coffee, tea or age. But sometimes such type of stains can be caused by some antibiotics as well such as tetracycline or too much fluoride.

Steve Suttcliff February 13, 2009 at 11:24 pm

does anyone know any easy, fast tips to whiten your teeth at home?

Lela May 5, 2010 at 6:50 pm

I’ve thought about applying straight hydrogen peroxide from the bottle with a q-tip to my teeth, but what’s the chance of saliva washing it away without the added protection of bleaching trays or strips. I’ve used GoSmile which is applied straight without any extra adhesives and I had somewhat good results.

dentists in memphis July 16, 2010 at 12:44 am

I still believe it is better to see one of the best dentists in Memphis for any tooth whitening treatment than using mouthwash. It’s more safe and sure.

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