Teeth Bleaching: The Dark Side

According to research from Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences journal, the light radiation used in bleaching teeth might be completely useless and dangerous to boot.

Several of the tooth whitening treatments think that the use of a light source is thought to improve the oxidizing effect of the hydrogen peroxide, but the study published in the journal disagrees and suggests that a light source makes no difference to the end result and could be dangerous for the bleacher and the bleachee.

Researchers form the Nordic Institution of Dental Materials investigated 7 different bleaching systems that were commercially available on the Scandinavian and US markets in 2005. Using human molars donated after extraction, the team bleached one half of the tooth following the manufacturers’ recommendation and the other was left as a control.

Half of the bleached teeth received both the bleaching gel and the radiation and the other half just the bleaching gel. The end result was that the light didn’t make teeth any whiter.

People can be exposed to up to an hour of radiation to the teeth and mouth, but very little is known about the effects of UV radiation on the inside of the mouth. Also, depending on the placement of the lamps and the kind of protection worn by clients and practitioners, unsafe levels of radiation can be exposed to the eye.

The end result? Go get your teeth bleached, for sure.  Just say no to the light.