More Aussies than ever are whitening their teeth, but fewer are doing it under the watch of dental professionals, leaving them at risk of burns, extreme pain and damaged enamel.
Over a fifth of Australians, 22 per cent, have whitened their teeth, an eight per cent jump since data was first recorded in 2017, according to a survey conducted for the Australian Dental Association.
But the number of whitening treatments conducted by dentists has fallen, with only one in three adults whitening their teeth under their supervision, according to the survey of 25,000 Australian adults last November and December.
Most – 39 per cent – bought a whitening kit online, while others bought an over-the-counter product or used whitening services provided by someone other than a dental professional.
Australian Dental Association spokesman and Sydney dentist Dr Mark Levi said the increasing popularity of online and off-the-shelf whitening products was concerning.
“Often what happens online … is that they’re going to get a tray in their mouth that is very generic, that just won’t fit; it’s a one size fits all,” he said.
“So if you’re putting in a bucket load of acid and goo and junk in there to go on the teeth, it’s going everywhere – it’s going on the gums, it’s going into your stomach.
“There’s a joke that goes the last place it goes on your teeth.”
Dr Levi said the dangers were that peroxide from the bleaxjmtzywch could escape and burn the mouth’s soft tissue or worse, be ingested.
Home treatments without supervision of a dental professional could also expose people to extreme pain if the bleach got into a crack or hole, blotchiness and damaged enamel.
Sometimes too high a concentration of peroxide was used, while there were also concerns about where the product was made, its effectiveness and if it would do any damage.
Dr Levi said consumers had to be wary products also deteriorated with heat and time, so quality was not assured when buying online.
Further, claims by some online and over-the-counter products using all natural ingredients also did not stand up to scrutiny, with some containing sodium chlorite, an industrial chemical used in swimming pool cleaning.
In some cases, a blue light is sold with peroxide whitening gels to speed up the tooth whitening process, but there are some peroxide products where the gel does not include chemicals these lights will work on, so they’re essentially sold as a gimmick, according to the University of Queensland’s Emeritus Professor Laurie Walsh.
The ADA has asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and its regulators to better protect consumers by enforcing compliance with the law and better educating them on risks of teeth whitening procedures without first obtaining a dental professional’s advice.
The ADA has expressed concern about the availability of teeth whitening products containing illegally high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide without safety warnings.
It has also raised issues over false advertising claims about product ingredients, the extent of whitening effect consumers can expect, and claimed expertise of non-dental practitioner teeth whitening service providers.
“Many of the online and off-the-shelf products are unregulated,” Dr Levi said.
“You take a chance with them, as you just don’t know how well they will work.
“It’s a bit of a wild west sort of approach to that. It’s out of my dentist comfort zone because you’re really rolling the dice.”
Further, Dr Levi said a high number of his patients who’ve tried to whiten their teeth themselves reported pain when there shouldn’t be if done correctly.
“There’s no question over the years we’ve had people ring up and say, ‘I’ve had home whitening, I’ve been in pain all night long, what do I do?’” he said.
The safest option is to see a dentist to see if your teeth are suitable for whitening and to get the best outcome.
“Online they’re spending a little bit of money. I don’t think many people are satisfied with what they’re getting. It’s not safe,” Dr Levi said.
“The dentist should be able to help them out at the expensive end and the cheap end.”
