Beware of ‘Illegal’ Teeth Whitening Kits
Teeth whitening kits came under the spotlight when an article at the Dentistry.co.uk website today highlighted a warning about teeth whitening kits that are being sold over the counter with dangerously high levels of hydrogen peroxide.
Officers from Northamptonshire Trading Standards seized the kits from a firm – they apparently have more than 100 times the legal amount of the chemical. They have issued a blanket warning that anyone buying teeth whitening kits need to check the packaging that the level of hydrogen peroxide contained in the gels don’t exceed 0.1%.
One of the dangers with using teeth whiteners with high peroxide levels is that peroxide in high doses can act as a weak cancer promoter with the chemical possibly able to stimulate the growth of the cancerous cells.
Introduction to Teeth Whitening
Ever since reality TV shows have taken off in the popularity stakes we have been able to see the stunning results that can be achieved through various methods of teeth whitening. Sure, we’ve noticed that movie stars all seem to have dazzling smiles and have heard of the procedures that they may or may not have had to get them. But it’s only been shows such as “Extreme Makeover” in the US and “Ten Years Younger” in the UK where we have watched a makeover recipient go in one door of a cosmetic dentist with a cracked and broken smile and come out at the end of the episode with an ultra-bright, perfect set of gnashers. If they’re not getting a laser whitening treatment then they’re having some porcelain veneers affixed.
With a booming cosmetic surgery industry comes a quest for a large part of the population to improve their appearance. Whether it be for self-esteem reasons or out of medical necessity, the trend is on the rise. A significant factor in making up our appearance is the state of a person’s teeth and, if all it takes to make someone feel better about themselves is whiter teeth then there are plenty of teeth whitening products and procedures available at a range of prices that should suit everyone.
It seems, though, that most of the information available about the various teeth whitening methods to choose from come from dental surgeries spouting the salesman pitches espousing the merits of the system they happen to supply. The aim of this site is to provide an independent presentation of as many teeth whitening methods as possible. We will try to explain the process involved in as much detail as possible as well as the likely results you can expect, the time the treatment might take and the cost of the procedure.
What this site won’t do is recommend which teeth whitening method you should choose. That’s a decision for you and your dentist to make. With any luck the information found on these pages will help you to arm yourself with as much independent detail as you can to help make your decision.
Seeing as how many of the options listed below will involve visiting a cosmetic dentist, it will be worthwhile going through a few of the important questions to ask and factors to consider when deciding on which cosmetic dentist to choose.
The various teeth whitening methods we will be looking at are:
• Zoom Whitening
• Porcelain Veneers
• Natural Teeth Whitening
• Teeth Whitening Kits
• Aquafresh White Trays
• Opalescence Teeth Whitening System
• LaserSmile
• Rembrandt Teeth Whitening
• LumaArch
• NUPRO White Gold / Illumine
• BriteWhite Teeth Whitening System
• Smartbleach Laser Teeth Whitening
• Maximum White Teeth Whitening
• Dentek Complete White Professional Whitening
• Paint-on Whitening
• Teeth Whitening Toothpaste
