There are many toothpastes available that advertise themselves as “whitening” toothpastes. Such products can look appealing, promising to serve as a cost-effective alternative to in-office whitening treatments by gradually restoring your sparkle as you brush. Unfortunately, these toothpastes are not all they may seem to be, and may actually be doing more harm than good.
The next time you’re shopping for your toothpaste, take a closer look at the fine print on the whitening pastes. You will probably notice that it qualifies its whitening power by saying that it “removes surface stains”. What this means is that it is preventing new stains from forming by removing staining pigments before they settle, while stains that have already settled remain untouched.
The truth is that, even if a toothpaste was strong enough to remove stains from your teeth, the two minutes you spend brushing is not enough time for it to do any good. In fact, any bleaching elements in your toothpaste are probably only serving to make the product more abrasive on your gums. If you want a safe and effective way to restore the pearly-white of your teeth, talk to our International District dentist.