Hey, we get it, everyone wants a Hollywood smile. With the advent of social media, we are exposed all day to images of celebrities and influencers perpetuating this idea of a perfect shining white smile. Because of that, many people try to find a way to achieve the same with some shady DIY Teeth Whitening techniques on youtube or other sites that are not only ineffective but kind of… very dangerous.
Trying these techniques may cause a lot of issues for your teeth and your mouth, from causing sensitivity to provoking gum disease or infections.
The truth is that although it is possible to get a perfect shining white smile it can only be done by a professional usually in a very expensive procedure, not in your backyard with some aluminum foil and the power of the sun.
Most of them are unfounded
We have searched through the internet for DIY Teeth Whitening techniques to see what we are getting into. Most of the websites had some variation of the same thing:
- Teeth Cleaning Tricks
- DIY Tips to Whiten Teeth
- Removing Tartar Without Going to the Dentist
- Home Tips for Teeth Whitening
- Among others…
Of course, they sound amazing, right? we all want an easy fix for a problem, and if the content of those videos or articles was true it would be revolutionary. Sadly, it is not.
Most of those articles were not written by a medical professional, a dentist, or a scientist.
Nope, the people who wrote that content usually are influencers or bloggers with zero to no medical training.
They find these tips and tricks to whiten your teeth on dubious websites.
If you happen to stumble upon these kinds of articles and want to try the DIY Techniques anyway we advise you to ask a medical professional first, that way you can verify if the information is correct and if it is not harmful to you.
Most Common DIY Ingredients
Of course, these types of videos, articles, and publications are popular: they promise to get you the same results as a medical professional would without paying, only using inexpensive readily available ingredients.
The most common ingredients they recommend are:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Charcoal
- Lemon juice
- Baking soda
- Common diluted bleach
Except for the bleach, all those ingredients don’t seem very harmful, but as you will see they most definitely are.
Dangers of following DIY Teeth Whitening Procedures
Using the techniques usually found in these articles may not seem like a big deal, in the end, you’re just using stuff you have lying around your house but the can and will cause a lot of serious damage to your mouth and teeth.
Some of the things that can happen are:
Slowly erode tooth enamel: Tooth enamel is the substance that coats your teeth and gives them a shiny white finish. Continued exposure (or even a few exposures) to these ingredients as prescribed in the DIY teeth cleaning guide can permanently damage your tooth enamel.
Severely damage your gums: Since some, or the mixture of some of these ingredients, can result in substances with a high acid content, gum inflammation, gum damage, and gum infection can occur.
Increased risk of tooth sensitivity: These substances can irritate and damage the entire mouth, tooth sensitivity can begin to be a problem.
Conclusion
A Hollywood smile can be expensive, but remember that at Somos Dental we have highly safe and economical alternatives.
You can contact us by calling 623-233-2201 or filling out our online form for a free initial appointment. Come to any of our six locations in Downtown Phoenix, Mesa, Camelback, Avondale, Desert Sky Mall, and Laveen to finally get the smile of your dreams.
