"Are Whitening toothpastes a Bright Idea?"

This day and age everyone wants brighter and whiter teeth!  It wasn't that long ago that we were all walking around with natural colored teeth.  Now with all the whitening products and Hollywood actors are new "normal" is a shade of white that isn't even on the natural tooth shade guide.  Whitening tray's and strips work by using bleach to slowly whiten the teeth internally.  

Many toothpaste brands are marketing whiter teeth with just the use of an inexpensive OTC paste, BUT does this come at a cost??

Here's the scoop, any whitening agent that is in the toothpaste is washed off the tooth before it could stand a chance, AND whitening toothpastes are only removing some surface stain.  Along with surface stain they actually can be removing layers of the outer white enamel, which can actually expose the inner layer called dentin which is yellow and over time make the teeth appear more yellow.  Not to mention sensitive.  

Pay attention to the RDA (abrasive scale index) and make sure to always try and get a toothpaste under 70 RDA as to not have permanent damage. 

For more information, check out these articles or talk to us at your next cleaning.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/04/health/la-he-skeptic-whitening-toothpaste-20110704

http://www.dentalassistant.net/blog/is-your-toothpaste-too-abrasive/