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Tooth whitening is one of today’s most popular cosmetic dentistry procedures. Consumers are willing to undergo extreme dental makeovers to achieve "Hollywood" smiles. But how much is too much?

The Wealthy Dentist conducted a survey asking dentists if they feel today’s consumers are over-whitening their teeth. Five out of six dentists in this poll felt that tooth-whitening technology is improving people’s smiles. One in six dentists worries that some people are overdoing it and ending up with ‘toilet bowl teeth.’

A Suite of Options for Whiter Teeth

Today’s cosmetic dentistry patients have several whitening options.Cosmetic dentists offer in-office laser bleaching, which instantly lightens teeth. Less expensive but more time-consuming is at-home bleaching. Custom-fitted flexible trays are filled with whitening gel and worn periodically for several weeks.

Over-the-counter teeth bleaching products have reached record numbers in recent years. They have been proven safe and effective, but the results are not as dramatic. Nonetheless, they have proven popular with consumers.

The Dangers of Over-Whitening Teeth

The survey reflected different opinions among rural and urban dentists. One in three rural dentists was seriously concerned about over-bleaching. By contrast, only one out of thirty urban dentists was worried about today’s consumers going overboard with lightening treatments.

When dentists or patients are overly eager, tooth-whitening can become too much of a good thing. "I had one patient who became so addicted to bleaching that her teeth resembled bright white copy paper - and she still was not ready to quit!" recounted a California dentist. "Too many people have the Regis Philbin look: teeth that are too big and too white that look too fake!" complained a prosthodontist.

Tooth Whitening: A Safe Route to a Brighter Smile

Teeth whitening is safe and effective, a point highlighted by many dental practitioners. "Some people will overdo whitening no matter what, so I think the dentist has a role as professional counselor," commented a California dentist. "But based on what I have seen in the literature to date, I believe whitening is both safe and efficacious."

One thing is crystal clear: the demand for tooth-whitening procedures is not likely to abate anytime soon. "I still see 5-10 patients daily asking about bleaching who have never done any bleaching previously," mentioned a North Carolina dentist. "In my practice, ‘toilet bowl teeth’ are few and far between."

Some People Don’t Know When To Stop Tooth Bleaching

As with anything, some people will always go to excess. "Like everything in this world, too much of anything is not good for you," said one Florida dentist. "Too much whitening on the same set of teeth will be too much and can cause problems, even darkening the same teeth we are trying to lighten."

Others feel that perhaps too much is never enough. "Whitening is a patient’s choice. If it makes them feel better and causes no problems, why not?" declared a Pennsylvania dentist. "If people want ‘toilet bowl teeth,’ so what?" asked a Georgia dentist. "Too white? Isn’t that like being too rich?"

Whiten Away… But Be Reasonable

"I can’t say that I’m surprised to find dentists in favor of tooth whitening," said dental practice management consultant Jim Du Molin, founder of The Wealthy Dentist. "But I am a little surprised that so few dentists are concerned about the possible harmful effects of over-bleaching. Of course, that’s why dentists prefer to be in control of tooth whitening procedures - it lets them ensure that patients don’t damage their teeth and give themselves fake-looking smiles."

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 2:17 pm and is filed under Organic beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.