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Asked by snowdenjwh to Helen, Jenni, Mark, Martin, Stu on 21 Jun 2011.
Question: Does whitening your teeth destory enamel?
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Jenni Tilley answered on 20 Jun 2011:
Good question and the answer is I’m not entriely sure.
Personally I think the craze for teeth whitening is pretty shallow – as long as you brush your teeth twice a day, there’s shouldn’t be a need to whiten your teeth. Who actually wants teeth that glow in UV light anyway?!
Recently, I have been wondering about electric toothbrushes. Their recommeneded by dentists, so they must be perfectly fine, but does excessive brushing of your teeth really not start to wear away the enamel? I’m guessing the answer is no and it’s because enamel is so, so tough and pretty absrasion-resistent.
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Mark Burnley answered on 20 Jun 2011:
My dentist has told me that some whitening toothpastes contain fine particles of sand which literally “rub” the stains off your teeth, but the chances are they will remove a few layers of enamel too. Other whitening products (treatments you’d get at a beauty spa or something – somewhere I’ve never been, btw) actually bleach the teeth, for which there are several (rather obvious) side effects!
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Helen O'Connor answered on 21 Jun 2011:
Bleaching can also make your teeth really pourous for a while, which makes them excrutiatingly sensitive. I had mine done as I very stupidly smoked when I was younger and wanted to get rid of the gross stains. But after a few days, the sensitivity had gone. I didnt notice any changes with the enamel though. And my teeth don’t glow in the dark like Simon Cowell’s! They are just back to the normal colour!
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Stuart Mourton answered on 21 Jun 2011:
the others seem much more knowledgable about this than me!! I just try and remember to brush twice a day!!
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