05 May Is Teeth Whitening Safe for Children?
Since the variety of at-home teeth whitening products constantly growing, pediatric dentists more often than before hear the question: ”Is teeth whitening safe for my child?”
To answer this question we will look into different aspects of the problem of yellowish teeth.
As adult teeth are naturally more yellow than the baby teeth, many children (and their parents!) are very disappointed when permanent teeth come in, and they are not as white as baby teeth were. As a matter of fact, baby teeth are called milk teeth because they look whiter. Permanent teeth have a layer underneath the enamel called dentin. The dentin is thicker in permanent teeth than in baby teeth, and it is grey or yellowish color. If your daughter or son is really concern about the issue, it is very temping to allow your child to use whitening treatments. But don’t rush your decision! The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry doesn’t recommend teeth whitening treatments as safe for kids and teens under 15. Potential danger of teeth whitening products is that a lot of them have high level of hydrogen peroxide (up to 13%) and can possible damage the enamel. If enamel is damaged that can cause irreversible yellow teeth because enamel doesn’t grow back.
Other possible negative results of using teeth-whitening products:
- Increased teeth sensitivity
- Not congeneric tooth color
- Dentin demineralization.
Additionally, due to strong chemicals in teeth whitening products, possible effects might be:
- Injuring of tooth nerve or pulp
- Causing of enamel splitting or disintegration
- Interfere with plastic fillings
- Damaging gum tissue.
Studies show that overuse of teeth whitening products may result in over oxidation, which can lead to irreversible damage of tooth structure.
That is why it’s so important to consult with your pediatric dentist before using any teeth whitening products, or performing any teeth whitening procedure. However, if you decide that confident bright smile of your child is what really important for you and your son or daughter and you want to continue with the teeth whitening procedure, always make sure that all the below criteria are met:
- All the baby teeth are lost
- All the adult teeth are in place and are not still erupting
- All orthodontic treatments are complete.
If the above criteria are met, you should contact your pediatric dentist to find out about the best teeth-whitening method/product for your child, and to get custom whitening trays.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding teeth whitening procedure,, please don’t hesitate to contact our experienced dentist specialists at Kids Dentistry in Allen: 972-727-0011. We will be happy to help brighten your child’s smile!
RELATED LINKS:
–https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/w/whitening
–http://www.kidsdentalonline.com/dental-topics/teeth-whitening-safe-children/
–https://askthedentist.com/whitening-childrens-teeth-is-it-safe/
–http://zapyellowteeth.com/prevent-yellow-teeth-children/