When Not To Whiten Teeth

While teeth whitening is safe most of the time, there are a few instances when not to whiten teeth. Find out when whitening your teeth is not a good idea.

Not everyone should whiten their teeth. For some people, bleaching agents can do more harm to them than the whitening is worth, and for others, bleaching agents won’t help. There are also things you should avoid doing to have a safe and successful teeth whitening experience, so you have a healthy, happy mouth.

When you shouldn’t whiten your teeth

•    You shouldn’t whiten your teeth if you are under the age of 13.
•    You shouldn’t whiten your teeth with a bleaching agent if your tooth discoloration is congenital discoloration – it won’t actually help
•    Don’t use whitening agents if your stains are from drugs, such as tetracycline. This won’t help and can make your teeth very sensitive.
•    Whitening agents probably won’t help if you have severe dental discoloration – talk to your dentist for solutions
•    If you have sensitive teeth, bleaching agents will make them more sensitive, so you should avoid chemical teeth whitening, including some of the stronger whitening toothpastes


What not to Do

•    Do not scratch at your teeth with something hard – many people try to scratch at their teeth with a pick or with their fingernails, thus causing damage to their enamel layer. Enamel is one of the hardest surfaces on your body, yet it can be scratched or damaged by metal or repeated scraping.
•    Do not regularly use abrasives on your teeth – a regular use of stronger whitening toothpastes, or often using baking soda or salt on teeth will weaken and can damage the enamel – this can be countered a little bit by use of fluoride treatments from your dentist, or perhaps by using a fluoride toothpaste, but is better to avoid
•    It is better to use a soft bristle toothbrush on your teeth than a medium or a hard bristle brush. Over time, a medium or hard bristle brush wears away more of your tooth enamel, while not actually providing more cleaning power
•    Do not scrub your teeth extra hard. Many people try to scrub away their tooth stains by brushing particularly hard at them. Brushing harder will not actually improve the efficacy of brushing, but it will wear down your tooth enamel faster.
•    Floss regularly but carefully. Over enthusiasm when flossing can damage gums. Your dental hygienist can show you how to floss properly.

Do not smoke or chew tobacco

•    Staining from regular cigarette smoking is common and after an extended period of time, sinks more deeply into the enamel layer of the teeth. This is also true of tobacco chewing. If you do smoke, try to brush your teeth after each time you smoke. Avoid smoking in conjunction with drinking coffee, tea, or other hot drinks – the heat from the drink makes teeth more susceptible to staining.