- By 1300SMILES Densits
- April 7, 2022
Did you know that more and more Aussies are whitening their teeth than ever before? In fact, over 22% of Aussies are now whitening their teeth – that’s an increase of 8% in just 5 years!
Only 1 in 3 adults whitened their teeth with a dental professional. That means over 64% of us are having our teeth whitened by other means. With all three of these methods on the rise:
- 39% purchased a kit online
- 16% purchased an over-the-counter product
- 9% used whitening services provided by someone other than a dental professional
The problem with off-the-shelf treatments
Off-the-shelf treatments are not the same as getting your teeth whitened with a dental professional. With an increase in consumers purchasing their teeth whitening kits off-the-shelf, there have been higher reports of injuries including soft tissue burns, extreme pain, blotchiness, damaged enamel and more.
When whitening is done correctly patients should not experience pain, blotchiness, damaged enamel, or gums.
Further, many off-the-shelf treatments are unregulated leading to an increased number of ineffective, gimmicky, or dangerous products in the market.
Many off-the-shelf whitening kits are sold with a blue light to speed up the whitening process. However, a number of these kits do not include chemicals that blue lights will work on, essentially being sold as a gimmick.
Another issue with DIY kits is the lack of customised ‘bleach’ trays. This can lead to peroxide or other ‘whitening’ material escaping and burning the mouths soft tissue or worse, accidental ingestion.Â
The data shows that we are increasingly turning away from dentists to DIY products that contain ingredients or concentrations of ingredients not approved by the ADA (Australian Dental Association) for teeth whitening. Many manufacturers in this currently unregulated space are using ingredients that contain dangerously high concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide or Carbamide Peroxide.
In fact, some off-the-shelf products promote unsubstantiated claims surrounding the use of ‘all-natural’ ingredients. Some of these ‘natural’ ingredients also contain sodium chlorite, an industrial chemical also used to clean swimming pools.
Don’t gamble with your smile and health
According to the ADA, the safest option is to see a dentist first to assess your mouths suitability for whitening. It is not recommended to use whitening products without a proper consultation with a dentist first.
After your consultation, your dentist will work with you to create a whitening treatment plan which can be delivered via in-chair whitening sessions or by moulding custom bleaching trays for your whitening home kit.
With an increasing number of injury reports from off-the-shelf treatments, the ADA has been applying pressure on the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) to better protect consumers by regulating products on the market.
By booking in to get your teeth whitened at 1300SMILES Dentists, you can relax knowing that any treatment delivered in our practice is regulated, safe and proven as effective for our patients.
