Are whitening products safe ?
Tooth whiteners are not drugs and therefore are not regulated as such. The active ingredient used in dental office whitening products has been safely used in both dentistry and medicine for decades. Adverse effects associated with tray teeth whitening/bleaching techniques may develop when it is used inappropriately. Inappropriate usage of the method includes “over use” of the technique and also utilizing it with inappropriate tooth whiteners. The proper use of dentist monitored at home teeth whiteners containing 10% carbamide peroxide have been well studied and have not been shown to produce a carcinogenic risk. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide created by these whiteners is low, on the order of 3.5%. Studies of hydrogen peroxide at about this same concentration have not shown a carcinogenic risk. The actual contact of teeth whitener to a person’s soft tissues (“gums”) in dentist made bleaching trays is minimal. One of the human body’s major defenses against the adverse affects of
