Home whitening kits weaken enamel, study finds
Home bleaching kits affect your tooth enamel strength, an ohio State University study has found.
The researchers applied five brand-name home bleaching treatments to human teeth and found that, in all cases, the whiteners reduced the hardness of the enamel, as well as the ability of the tooth surface to resist force. Both over-the-counter and professionally recommended products were used, and the scientists followed manufacturer instructions.
The study examined the effects of Crest Whitestrips Premium Plus, Crest Whitestrips Supreme, Oral B Rembrandt, Nite White ACP and Treswhite Opalescence, the final three of which are tray treatments. The researchers found that the tray method of bleaching your teeth reduced enamel hardness more than the whitening strips.
The study, published in the Journal of Dentistry, measured the loss of enamel in nanometers, which, according to the lead author of the study, Shereen Azer, gave a better understanding of what effect the products actually have.
Azer said: “There is some significant reduction in nano-hardness of enamel, but we are talking on a very minute scale. So even though it may not be visible to the human eye, it’s important for research because that’s how we improve products.”
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