Does Whitening Toothpaste Really Work?

Yellow, gray, or dull teeth are often thought to be markers of poor dental hygiene or bad habits, like smoking. The perception that shining, white teeth are the epitome of health and style has led many people to search for solutions to lift their discoloration.

Professional options, such as bleaching treatments with your dentist or whitening products to be used at home, can be extremely effective, but also extremely expensive. Instead, many people turn to the relatively cheap solution of whitening toothpaste.

While it can be hard to judge results, it isn’t uncommon for regular users of whitening toothpaste to be disappointed with the amount of tooth lightening that occurs because, contrary to popular belief, whitening toothpaste can’t change the color of your teeth. If your teeth are naturally a little yellow, using this kind of treatment will not suddenly give you gleaming, pearly gnashers. The only way it would work is if that is what your teeth naturally look like. The main reason for this is that whitening toothpaste only works at a surface level.

They can be effective at removing very superficial stains, caused by red wine or coffee for example, but cannot work on any discoloration that goes deeper than the surface, and can’t change the actual color of your enamel. For someone who wants to maintain a natural, white color, whitening toothpaste could be helpful, but it is unlikely to make much of a difference to anyone looking for radical lightening. Plus, whitening toothpaste is made up of abrasives that work to scrub away any impurities from the surface of your enamel, and so could have the opposite effect.

If the top layer of enamel is scrubbed away a substance called dentine, which is present below all of our enamel, may be revealed, and dentine is naturally much darker in color than enamel. Even more worryingly, this could lead to tooth sensitivity as the enamel that has been worn away cannot be easily replaced.

Relying on such techniques also means whitening toothpaste doesn’t contain peroxide, the ingredient used in professional treatments to bleach teeth and counteract discoloration. When used safely, bleaching is much more effective for severely yellowed or naturally dull teeth than whitening toothpaste. It could initially appear as if your whitening toothpaste is working, though. Some pastes contain a chemical called blue covering, which adheres to the surface of the tooth to create the illusion of lighter, whiter gnashers. It can also help to prevent further staining but again will not change the actual color of your teeth. If you’re worried about discoloration, the best thing you can do is speak to your dentist about the options available to you.

You can also try brushing your teeth more frequently, especially after consuming things that are likely to stain your teeth like coffee, wine, chocolate, or even fruits such as blueberries. A good electric toothbrush can also go a long way, cleaning the teeth better. Make sure to drink plenty of water while eating these kinds of foods, or after you smoke (if you’re a smoker). And ensure you’re using toothpaste that contains fluoride, as this is the best way to keep your teeth clean and healthy. An alternative would be to try activated charcoal, which is designed to whiten teeth better than whitening toothpaste.

Closing Thoughts

Whitening toothpaste although low in the budget is not a suitable investment to treat your yellow teeth. People have wrongly been guided about the effectiveness of these whitening toothpaste that creating hype in the market. 

But the truth is that excess immersion of these whitening toothpaste can further worsen the yellow pigmentation of your teeth. This is because the agents present in this toothpaste are likely to wash out the surface of your tooth enamel and thereby the layer below the surface of the enamel is more yellow as compared to your tooth surface.

Whitening toothpaste is a temporary solution to your yellow teeth. So try to research the most effective and permanent solutions for yellow teeth even if it is a little expensive as getting rid of your yellow teeth completely would be worth those expenses.