Teeth whitening

The Enabler

Hi all,

This article appeared in an Irish beauty blog about how to whiten teeth at home. Can any dental professionals advise if this is safe?

Ding! That’s the sound you want to hear (in your head) when you look in the mirror and smile.

Everyone is looking for that perfectly white smile these days, but unfortunately whitening can be damaging to your teeth and it can be very expensive. So here is a great affordable way to get pearly whites at home.

What you will need:
Activated Charcoal

Hydrogen Peroxide

Toothbrush

Eggcup



Step 1
Break the capsule of activated charcoal in to an egg cup.

Step 2
Add a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide and mix in to a paste.



Step 3
Apply the paste to your toothbrush, and start brushing your teeth. Swish it around your mouth also, and do this for approximately five minutes.

Step 4
Spit out the paste and rinse your mouth out with hydrogen peroxide. This should be again swished in your mouth for approximately five minutes.



Step 5
Spit the peroxide out and rinse with water.

This technique should be done every day until you reach your desired whiteness. Then, once a week to maintain desired effect.

Why don’t you guys try taking a before and after shot before you try this so you can see how well it works for you, and please let us know how you get on!

helimachoptor

Please do not try this OP, go and speak to a dental professional or you risk damaging yourself.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I use hydrogen peroxide a lot as a dentist and its a very powerful and caustic chemical. You have to be extremely careful or severe chemical burns will happen.

I would strongly advise nobody tries this at home, however any damage done however could win you a darwin award.

The Enabler

helimachoptor wrote: »

Please do not try this OP, go and speak to a dental professional or you risk damaging yourself.

I'm not looking to try it at home! Had doubts about its safety so that's why I asked here

ohnonotgmail

Is that verbatim from the blog? It doesnt say use a percentage solution of hydrogen peroxide?

This link gives similar info to yours http://www.wikihow.com/Whiten-Teeth-With-Hydrogen-Peroxide

Notice 3 things :

1. It says to use a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide
2. The bottle of hydrogen peroxide it uses as an example says "For External Use Only". A bit of a clue.
3. At the bottom under "Warnings" it says "Be careful not to swallow hydrogen peroxide during the whitening process. If this happens, call Poison Control immediately."

The OP needs to tell the blog to take the information down. It is downright dangerous in its current form.

The Enabler

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Is that verbatim from the blog? It doesnt say use a percentage solution of hydrogen peroxide?

This link gives similar info to yours http://www.wikihow.com/Whiten-Teeth-With-Hydrogen-Peroxide

Notice 3 things :

1. It says to use a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide
2. The bottle of hydrogen peroxide it uses as an example says "For External Use Only". A bit of a clue.
3. At the bottom under "Warnings" it says "Be careful not to swallow hydrogen peroxide during the whitening process. If this happens, call Poison Control immediately."

The OP needs to tell the blog to take the information down. It is downright dangerous in its current form.

Hi,

I copied and pasted the article from the beauty blog. I'll leave a comment on their site as it seems totally unsafe

Dianthus

What you have to ask yourself is;
-What value do I place on my teeth & gums?
- Whose credentials & advice should I trust more, a beauty bloggers' or my dentists'?
- If I follow the bloggers' advice& damage/harm occurs, who pays the price? (dental, time, financial, emotional)
Can I afford this?

Go with your gut instinct OP. Also known as the voice of reason!!!

The Enabler

Dianthus wrote: »

What you have to ask yourself is;
-What value do I place on my teeth & gums?
- Whose credentials & advice should I trust more, a beauty bloggers' or my dentists'?
- If I follow the bloggers' advice& damage/harm occurs, who pays the price? (dental, time, financial, emotional)
Can I afford this?

Go with your gut instinct OP. Also known as the voice of reason!!!

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I probably should have been clearer from the start but I'm not and never was looking to try this at home myself. I just heard this was on a major Irish beauty blog and it seemed dodgy to me but I wanted to check with dental professionals here!