Getting your teeth whitened is very fashionable: you want immaculate teeth to show off a star’s smile, like in advertisements!
Yes, but here it is: according to a recent study conducted by Stockton University (in the United States), dental bleaching could be dangerous for the teeth and in particular for the dentin, a calcified tissue which is located under the enamel and which covers the dental pulp.
American researchers have discovered, through various experiments, that hydrogen peroxide (a substance often used to whiten teeth) degrades the proteins that make up dentin and especially collagen – it is estimated that dentin is made up of 70% salts minerals and 30% collagen.
Progressive destruction of collagen
“Our work shows that the processes currently used to whiten teeth gradually deteriorate the collagen that makes up dentin; we don’t yet know if this process is irreversible” specify the scientists, who presented their work at the last annual congress of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
In France, a decision published in the Official Journal on August 9, 2013 ruled that “the placing on the market, distribution, manufacture, possession with a view to the sale or distribution […] of products […] intended for use on the external face of the teeth with a view to whitening or brightening them, and whose hydrogen peroxide concentration is greater than 0.1% and less than or equal to 6%, are suspended until their compliance with the cosmetic regulations applicable to them”.
In short, it is better to ask your dentist for advice before pushing the door of a “smile bar”…
Read also :
Too much toothpaste on children’s toothbrushes
Teeth care: the 6 worst enemies of your white teeth
White teeth: 4 homemade recipes before New Year’s Eve selfies
