One of the two chemicals most commonly used in over the counter teeth whitening products today is hydrogen peroxide. This is the active ingredient responsible for the whitening results provided by many at home whitening gels, strips, and pens. This powerful chemical can provide great whitening results but care must be taken to use it safely and avoid potential side effects.
What is Hydrogen Peroxide?
Hydrogen peroxide is made up of two atoms of hydrogen and two of oxygen. It takes the form of a clear liquid resembling water but it functions as an oxidizer – a chemical that breaks down into oxygen. Because of this it is has many applications in 
cleaning and bleaching. For example,orthodontiste paris it is used to sterilize wounds and bleach hair. Teeth whitening is just one of the many uses of this chemical.
How Does Hydrogen Peroxide Whiten Teeth?
Hydrogen peroxide is a useful whitening agent because it breaks down into water and oxygen. It is the concentrated oxygen released by peroxide that actively breaks apart the chemical bonds holding together the stain pigments within your teeth. Unlike abrasive ingredients like baking soda that can only clear stains off the surface enamel of your teeth, the oxygen from peroxide can penetrate into the porous structure of your enamel and dentin to clean your teeth from the inside out.
The yellow or brown discoloration on your teeth is the result of stain pigments from eating certain foods, drinks or from smoking. The oxygen tears apart these pigments at a molecular level, resulting in far whiter teeth than can be achieved with surface level cleaning.
How Does Hydrogen Peroxide Compare to Carbamide Peroxide?
Carbamide peroxide is also used for teeth whitening and in fact carbamide will break down into hydrogen peroxide. This means that a solution of carbamide peroxide has less concentrated whitening power than an equal percentage of hydrogen peroxide. It’s only about a third as strong. A 30% percent concentration of carbamide peroxide is only as effective at bleaching your teeth to a whiter shade as a 10% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Despite this carbamide peroxide is popularly used in whitening products.
The reason carbamide peroxide is commonly used in at home whitening products instead of hydrogen peroxide is because it is safer to handle. Whitening products that include carbamide peroxide for whitening are safer to use and much less likely to cause side effects than hydrogen peroxide whitening gels which use stronger concentrations of peroxide. A good carbamide peroxide whitening gel can still get you the whitening results you’re looking for, despite providing less peroxide.
Both carbamide peroxide and hydrogen peroxide are effective at whitening teeth. Don’t worry too much about the relative strengths and concentrations of various peroxide-based whitening products. Instead of trying to find the highest concentration of hydrogen peroxide available in a whitening product you can get the whiter teeth you want with a lower and safer concentration of carbamide peroxide.
What Are the Potential Side Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide?
Unfortunately, because it is such a strong oxidizer hydrogen peroxide can cause side effects like temporarily increased tooth sensitivity or even chemical burns if allowed to come in contact with skin or the gums.
These side effects can be avoided however. To prevent tooth sensitivity that makes it painful to eat ice cream or drink hot soup you can use a restorative fluoride toothpaste featuring NovaMin to repair the structure of your teeth before whitening with a hydrogen peroxide gel. This will make your teeth less susceptible to that annoying side effect.
News About Orthodontiste Paris:
Orthodontie adulte [Résolu]
Le Cabinet – Orthodontiste
Orthodontiste Vincennes
