Dental whitening: household products considered “dangerous and useless” by 60 million consumers

For several years now, sites offering treatments that make teeth whiter than white have abounded online. Their niche? Offer specialized kits that include trays, accompanied or already soaked in a hydrogen peroxide or carbamide whitening gel and (often) a blue light lamp. While many influencers have praised it highly, boosting the sales of these kits around the world, magazine 60 million consumers turns out to be much less enthusiastic about the concept. We explain to you.

Products with too high a concentration of active ingredients

According to 60 million consumers, it would be very easy “to obtain a product online containing doses of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide […] well above legal standards. “ You should know that in Europe, All dental whitening kits with a dose greater than 6% are prohibited. Despite the growing work of Fraud Control to reduce the number of proposals on the Internet, it is still possible and easy to obtain this type of product. offering quick results but unfortunately not without dangers. According to Dr. Martine Zisserman, dental surgeon specializing in smile aesthetics interviewed by the magazine:

“The longer the lightening is performed, the softer and more resistant it is. But watch out for the clarification promises within minutes from some smile bars. They actually apply phosphoric acid, the product we use to bond composites in the office. ”

So what is the recommended dose? Good for carbamide is 0.3% (0.1 to 6% for dentists). On the other hand, for hydrogen peroxide, it must fall below 0.1%. Dentists have the right to go up to 16%.

Marketing excesses

Beyond a dosage problem, 60 million consumers highlights a small accessory that is often included in whitening kits: the blue light LED lamp. Depending on the different brands that offer it, the latter would allow to increase the reaction speed to the active ingredients used in whitening. Small problem : it would just be marketing based simply on the fact that teeth that dry quickly tend to look whiter. The light would then only serve to dehydrate the teeth, a reversible process as soon as a little saliva is applied to them.

explains Dr. Éric Bonnet 60 million consumers :

“There was a European consensus on the subject, which concluded that these lamps were totally useless in the context of money laundering. This is a marketing trick. ”

We are fixed.

Sometimes dangerous tools

Whether they are already soaked in whitening products or you have to apply the gel yourself (often using some kind of syringe), the principle remains the same: wearing the aligners for a certain period of time, your teeth will turn white.

Only that the difference between the gutters offered by dentists (who mostly create a mold of your teeth in advance) and those sold in prepackaged kits, is the latter they are not made to measure. Insignificant problem one might think, yet! When the gutter is not made to your measurements, it may be poorly adjusted, causing the gel to overflow. The latter it will then reach the gums, which can lead to painful burns and retractions …

In short, you will have understood, if the desire arises to have your teeth whitened, it is better to go to your dentist and discuss it directly with him. He can make an impression of your teeth to create a gutter adapted to your teeth and set a tailor-made treatment for you. Sure, this process is more expensive, but it remains safe and controlled.

An image credit: @Candid