Many people are not happy then with the color of their teeth. The teeth may have gotten stained over the years and they are no longer white. There are many teeth whitening products and procedures that a person can have to make their teeth white again. Still, people wonder if teeth whiteners will damage the nerve of the tooth.
Dental studies have been conducted on people that whiten their teeth professionally. There has been no evidence found that teeth whitening can lead to nerve damage. A study followed patients for seven years. During this time they were using teeth whitening systems. No patient needed any additional work on their teeth performed such as a root canal due to the whitening.
Risks Associated with Teeth Whitening
While teeth whitening will not lead to nerve damage a person may feel some irritation in their gums one to three days after having this procedure. A person can reduce the amount of time they were wearing whitening trays. They can also use sensitive toothpaste to help soothe the irritation. The nerves of the teeth do not cause this pain or irritation.
Are Whitening Products Safe?
The bleaching products that are in the dental office and the at-home uses are safe. All of the whitening products have been approved by the ADA and follow all ADA guidelines. These products contain 10 percent carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide. This states that they are safe. Whitening products where a laser is required do not have the seal from the ADA. The ADA studied the effects that the whitening products have on the teeth. No nerve damage was found and it was shown that these products do not affect the nerve of the teeth and will not cause nerve damage.
Whitening and Nerve Tissue
Dentists looked at the bleaching agents including peroxide and the effect that it will have on the enamel and the nerves of the teeth. It would take the formula 5 to 15 minutes to reach the nerve after the solution is applied. The amount of harmful additives in the whitening solution is too low in concentration to cause damage to the nerve of the teeth. There have been no long term problems associated with teeth whitening that have been found.
A person can get whiter teeth and they will not have to worry about nerve damage. The teeth will be able to be a pearly white color and a person will not have to worry about damaging the nerves found in their teeth.