Clorox for white teeth??

I have a friend with really white teeth who says she does it herself by gargling with clorox bleach.  Is this safe? It seems to work for her.

Claire- Mississippi

Claire,

People sometimes get confused about teeth whitening. They hear that dentists bleach teeth, and think that the clinics use acctual bleach. In reality, dentists use a very specific peroxide solution, that is too strong to be done over the counter.

While I’m sure your friend’s teeth are quite white, bleach is a corrosive. It’s also quite damaging to living tissue. Plus, because it is a base (as oppossed to an acid) there are certain things you might put in your mouth that will react with the clorox. It release a toxic gas, which can kill you.

The safest thing to do is go to a dentist for your teeth whitening. There are a lot of affordable ways to do it.

This blog is brought to you by Naperville Cosmetic Dentist Dr. David Newkirk.