Teeth Whitening Side Effects

This day and age, teeth whitening is becoming very popular. The practice has already gained wide acceptance in both the dentistry community and its consumer base. We are more aware of our physical appearance than ever and we feel better ourselves when we know we look good. We're only human beings here. Nothing to be ashamed of!

But if you ever watch television, you might have seen a documentary about cosmetic surgery gone awfully wrong. Whether it was liposuction, a hair transplant, laser hair removal or whatever... things can always go wrong. The same is true for teeth whitening. Of all the cosmetic treatments, teeth whitening might very well be one of the safest. But things can still go wrong if you are being treated by an unprofessional person. It could also go seriously wrong when you are treating yourself with an at home whitening kit. Some people don't always read the instructions as well as they should.

Many people sustain teeth whitening enamel damage because they use they apply their whitening gel too generously or they expose their teeth to it for too long!

Teeth Whitening Side Effects

The damaging of enamel is the most frequently reported side effect to the treatment. One other frequent side effect is irritation of the gums. Other, less frequent side effects are a sore throat, tingling of your mouth tissue and headaches. But these are much more rare.

Whenever a tooth bleaching process is starting to hurt, it is very important that you stop the treatment immediately. This might happen at the dentist's office or you may be at home. Pain means stop. If you don't, you are at risk of destroying your enamel beyond repair. It will make your teeth very sensitive permanently. They can be sensitive to all kinds of things from then on. Hot temperatures, cold temperatures or even air. Or you teeth could just be painful for no obvious reason other than your enamel damage.

Luckily, most people will feel only slight discomfort during the treatment. Especially if you are having it done by a professional dentist, you are at a very low risk of developing teeth whitening side effects. People that do, usually have an allergic reaction to one of the substances used in the chemical that do the actual bleaching.

If you are using a whitening kit at home, you can alleviate your side effects by reducing the usage of the kit. You can wear your tray or strips for fewer hours or you could discontinue the use of them completely for a few days. As soon as the side effects wear off, you could carefully try it out again on a reduced time schedule.