Over-the-counter whitening strips ‘erode your teeth and trigger agonising nerve pain’
The new study shows the bleach used to brighten your smile destroys a layer of dentin, causing agonising tooth ache
TEETH whitening kits you can buy over the counter are wrecking your smile, experts have warned.
The strips, which promise a TOWIE or Love Island worthy grin, can leave you suffering agonising toothache.
They damage the dentin, a protein found under the protective enamel.
It helps stop hot soup or freezing ice cream stimulating the nerves, and causing shooting pains.
It is similar to bone but softer, as it mainly contains collagen found in skin and other connective tissues.
Bleach destroys teeth
It involves bleaching the teeth with a product containing the active ingredient hydrogen peroxide - which is known to penetrate enamel and dentin.
Now a team at Stockton University in New Jersey warned the whitening strips erode the layer of dentin.
It does so by breaking down the dentin into smaller fragments - fuelling tooth sensitivity.
Lead researchers Prof Kelly Keenan, a chemist, said: "Our results showed that treatment with hydrogen peroxide concentrations similar to those found in whitening strips is enough to make the original collagen protein disappear, which is presumably due to the formation of many smaller fragments."
Damage runs deep
The tooth is made of three layers - the outer enamel, the underlying dentin and connective tissue that binds the roots to the gum.
Most studies of whitening strips have focused on tooth enamel, which contains very little protein.
Our results showed that treatment with hydrogen peroxide concentrations similar to those found in whitening strips is enough to make the original collagen protein disappear
Prof Kelly Keenan
The study presented at an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting in Orlando, Florida, focused on dentin which makes up most of the tooth.
Prof Keenan's undergraduates Isaiah Ailes, David Tohidi and Luke Ngo told the conference: "These results suggest hydrogen peroxide, even at the concentrations used in whitening strips, can damage protein."
The team said they don't know if the damage is permanent because they didn't test if the dentin could regenerate.
Whitening 'safe' if you go to your dentist
The British Dental Association (BDA) says whitening is perfectly safe if carried out by a registered dental professional.
But the BDA warned anyone else won't have the right training or knowledge and could cause permanent damage to teeth and gums.
For example, if the mouth guard containing the bleaching gel does not fit properly some of it may leak and cause painful chemical burns.
In extreme cases, people have been sick after swallowing the bleaching product.
The BDA said beauticians aren't properly trained to take a medical history to make sure someone is suitable for teeth whitening.
Americans spend more than a billion dollars on teeth whitening products each year. The global market is expected to reach an astonishing £5.7 billion by 2024.
It is becoming as normal to get your teeth done as it is to have a manicure.
Options range from the DIY kits on supermarket shelves of your local supermarket to devices that glow UV light into the mouth.
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But concern is growing they may cause more harm than good. Earlier this year a study home whitening kits can leave teeth weaker and more sensitive.
Some dental experts have called for them to be banned.
An earlier investigation by Which? found one in ten people reported white spots on their gums or lips after using a whitening product, suggesting they had suffered chemical burns.
A similar number had brown stains on their teeth, an indication of damage to the enamel.
