Patriot Health Digest
Should you use hydrogen peroxide as mouthwash for better and whiter teeth? According to Doctor Suhail Mohiuddin, who is a dentist and the founder of Dentologie, the answer is no way.
“Hydrogen peroxide is used by some people as a daily rinse, but this can cause your mouth tissue to undergo necrosis and give you chronic inflammation in your gums,” Dr. Mohiuddin says in his new TikTok video in reply to a video of another TikToker using hydrogen peroxide as mouth wash. In short, you might get red painful gums, or even the death of your mouth tissue.
“As a teeth whitener, it does work,” he says. “But it should not be used inside of a tray or whitening strip.” Dr. Chris Salierno, leading dental officer at Tend says. “Rinsing your mouth with peroxide is NOT approved by the FDA for whitening,” reports Dr. Salierno. “It is not only dangerous, we don’t have studies to prove it really works.”
While hydrogen peroxide is reported as the top active ingredient of almost all over the counter teeth whitening products, you should only be using it through a few delivery methods, such as what Dr. Mohiuddin recommends. “Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful bleach and does have the ability to leach away calcium salts from your enamel if you use it too frequently or incorrectly,” Heather Kunen, who is an orthodontist at Beam St reports. “If used according to good instructions given to you by your dentist, hydrogen peroxide is effective and safe for teeth whitening.”
If you are looking for an at-home teeth whitening method, both Dr. Kunen and Dr. Salierno recommend an at-home kit to get an effective and safe amount of hydrogen peroxide to brighten up your teeth, or visit your local dentist for the best results.
“Your dentist will look at the cause and severity of your discoloration or stains and recommend the best whitening method for you, this includes in-office and at-home techniques,” says Dr. Salierno. “Some patients just need some good cleaning and their teeth will look noticeably whiter.”
Author: Blake Ambrose
