Many people have discoloured and yellow teeth which are attributed to things such as smoking, drinking dark coloured drinks and general bad oral hygiene. Teeth whitening can help smokers maintain a white healthy smile.

What is teeth whitening?

Teeth whitening is a form of cosmetic dentistry that involves bleaching your teeth in order to make them look whiter and remove any discolouration. Lately, it has become very popular to get your teeth whitened as it makes your smile look better and also helps you with your confidence.

It isn’t a once-off solution as it will need to be done periodically in order to maintain the desired colour.

Teeth whitening can either be performed by dentists or with a DIY kit.

What are the dangers of teeth whitening?

As mentioned previously, when it comes to cosmetic dentistry and teeth whitening you can either have it carried out by a dental professional or with homemade kits.

The dangers with teeth whitening start to arise if you don’t have it carried out by a registered dental professional as you could potentially be permanently harming your teeth if the procedure is carried out by someone who hasn’t undertaken the relevant training.

Some of the dangers include if your mouthguard isn’t fitted securely allowing some of the dental bleach to leak through which can cause extremely painful and dangerous chemical burns.

Another danger with a loose mouth guard used for teeth whitening is that you could potentially be swallowing the bleach causing people to be sick.

Teeth whitening in itself is legal under Australian law but you will find yourself breaking the law if you have it carried out by someone who isn’t a dental professional or at least be in the presence of a dental professional.

There are salons throughout Australia that also offer teeth whitening but again you’ll want to make sure a certified dental professional is present when the procedure is being carried out.

You can also get DIY home kits that allow you to bleach your teeth yourself and these are also legal as long as the levels of hydrogen peroxide in the kit don’t exceed 0.1%.