THE UGLY TOOTH
Search for perfect smile has bad side effects
INSTAGRAM- happy Gold Coasters are facing an inconvenient tooth in the search for the perfect smile in front of the camera.
DIY teeth-whitening kits are leaving them with badly blistered gums.
Dentists say more patients are coming to them with chemical burns and irreversible enamel damage because of the popularity of cheap home kits.
However, it may be in vain with a study in the UK finding some products were as effective as using salt water.
INSTAGRAM-HAPPY Gold Coasters are living an ugly tooth in search of the perfect smile for the camera.
DIY teeth-whitening kits are leaving them with badly blistered gums.
Dentists say more patients are coming to them with chemical burns and irreversible enamel damage because of the popularity of cheap home kits.
Dr Norah Ayad, of Coastal Dental Care Burleigh Waters, said younger patients were rocking up after putting bleach on their teeth to look good on social media.
“We see a lot of chemical burns from bleach ruining the gums, which can produce large welts and peeling,” Dr Ayad said.
“Someone who is not a dentist might apply bleach into the gums, which is instead designed for the tooth, or leave it too long.”
Dr Ayad said the Australian Dental Association Queensland had called for further regulation of the products.
“There are many concerns about undertaking an oral procedure when a person is not a dentist,” said Dr Ayad, the association’s senior vice-president. “They can’t check for holes in the teeth, and bleach inside a cavity is very, very painful.
“Someone who is not a dentist also isn’t going to pick up on decay.
“Bleaching a tooth is also not going to impact the colour of the filling, no matter how effective or safe the over-thecounter products are.”
An ADAQ report last year revealed the rates were only expected to increase, with almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of women aged 18-25 and 51 per cent of men in the same age group having considered whitening their teeth.
A study undertaken by the University of Manchester Dental School also found products ranged from being no more effective than salt water to containing chemicals that could do serious damage.
“We tend to find teethwhitening gels come in two categories: not concentrated enough or those, particularly from overseas, which have too high concentrations of active chemicals which lead to the softening of enamel,” Dr Ayad said. “Only a dental professional is able to prescribe the right concentration.”