Are Teeth Whitening Strips Safe?

I am looking into my teeth whitening options. I don’t want to do anything in-office, like Zoom, because my dentist charges a small fortune for it. I am currently looking into at-home whitening options. One of the options I am considering is the over-the-counter Crest whitestrips, but I read something that said whitestrips can damage tooth enamel. Is this accurate? If so, what are my best options?

Laurie

Dear Laurie,

 

Over-the-counter teeth whitening strips do not damage your enamel, but they do have several issues to consider before you make your final decision.

Whitestrips Can Give Splotchy Results

When you use teeth whitening strips, they don’t always sit flush against your teeth. This can lead to uneven results. Plus, unless you’ve had a professional cleaning very recently, there will be some buildup that will prevent the whitestrips from penetrating uniformly. A second issue you will end up dealing with is the fact that the strips will only cover the front six teeth. Most people have a smile that is eight to ten teeth wide. If you want all the visible teeth to whiten, then you will need to use more than one strip at a time. This will double the cost you’ve worked out.

Whitestrips Are Weaker than Professional Whitening

Over-the-counter whitestrips have about a 6% concentration of the whitening gel. The gel your dentist provides will be around a 33% concentration. This means you will have to whiten significantly longer in order to get the same strength of whitening, meaning purchasing even more boxes than you’d planned.

Professional Whitening at Home

You don’t have to use over-the-counter kits in order to whiten your teeth at home. There are professional teeth whitening trays that your dentist can provide for you, which will allow you to whiten efficiently at your convenience. They also will protect your gums from the gel, which the whitestrips cannot do. Additionally, the custom fit teeth whitening trays will keep saliva from mixing with the gel, which means you will not have any dilution that can weaken the effectiveness.

This blog is brought to you by Enfield Dentist Dr. William Cummiskey.