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.
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.
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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?
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
Good information ! Thanks
This is a good info !!!! instead of using mouthwashes if we use tooth whitening products it will give some good results.
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.
does anyone know any easy, fast tips to whiten your teeth at home?
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.
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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