News, OJ Worse for Teeth than Whitening. (dentist, side, cavity)

[JD59]

With the increasing popularity of whitening one’s teeth, researchers at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center, set out to learn if there are negative effects on the tooth from using whitening products.


Eastman Institute’s YanFang Ren, DDS, PhD, and his team determined that the effects of 6 percent hydrogen peroxide, the common ingredient in professional and over-the-counter whitening products, are insignificant compared to acidic fruit juices. Orange juice markedly decreased hardness and increased roughness of tooth enamel.

Newsmax.com - OJ Worse for Teeth than Whitening

[kibblesandbits]

This is interesting. I have never done tooth whitening because my dentist told me he doesn't advise it because he thinks not enough is known about whether or not it is harmful to the teeth. However, I have been an orange juice and soda drinker since childhood. I drank Mountain Dew--which I'm sure is worse for teeth than orange juice--all through my childhood several times a day. I have pretty good teeth--haven't had a cavity in 15 years. So I have to wonder about this study.

[subsound]

That's a really iffy study to me, largely because they don't tell you how it's done. Juices and drinks are very transient in the mouth, and whitening agents get stuck to the teeth in long intervals. I wonder if they stuck a tooth in the juice for awhile outside of the protective affects of saliva, which is a greatly different environment.

Starchy/sticky and sugary foods are much worse then either.

[Sandhillian]

I had my teeth whitened once at a well known commercial whitening place and have had problems ever since. My teeth now get stains in between my regular 6 month cleanings which they never did before. My advice would be to not do it. I haven't tried over the counter whiteners so I can't comment on those.

[Mercury Cougar]

Yeah, that OJ is a killer all right.