Theriot Family Dental

Can You Bleach Your Teeth with Clorox?

Posted by writeradmin

I was thinking about getting my teeth whitened, but I don’t have a ton of money. I was thinking that maybe I could just rinse my teeth with Clorox. Maybe that is stupid, but it works on clothes so I thought maybe it would be effective on my teeth.

Mae

Dear Mae,

teeth whitening trays
Teeth Whitening Trays

I can see how you made the connection between whitening your teeth and Clorox. You should know that bleach is not what is used to whiten teeth. Instead, dentists use a special peroxide gel. Would bleach work instead? Possibly, but here are some things you should know before making your decision.

Bleach is a base, and a rather strong one at that. There are two dangers with this. First, as a corrosive it will burn living tissue, such as your gums and the inside of your mouth. In fact, as a corrosive, dentists sometimes use it in a root canal treatment in order to dissolve any of the dead tissue that needs to be removed.

The second issue is that is if it comes in contact with other chemicals, it can release chlorine gas. this is toxic and can do you great harm, if not kill you.

My suggestion is you get your teeth professionally whitened. Your dentist can provide you with custom-fitted trays. This allows you to keep the whitening gel on your teeth and away from your gums. If price is the biggest obstacle, I would simply talk to your dentist. Most dentists are compassionate. I would explain your situation and then see if they would be willing to allow you to pay out the whitening procedure. If he isn’t willing, you can always look for someone who advertises as an affordable dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.