Should you Whiten Your Teeth With Clorox?

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I periodically peruse dental questions online to see what topics people are interested in or confused about. I came across one where a man had asked about bleaching his teeth with the jug of bleach he has at home. Most people trolled him or responded with shock that he would even consider such a thing. So is this a horrible idea, as most were saying or is it a viable option?

First, you should know that your dentist does not use that type of bleach to whiten your teeth. Instead, they use a peroxide gel. There is something that dentists do often use bleach, such as Clorox. It is in a root canal treatment in order to clean out all the biological debris. Clorox is a base, kind of like Lye. It is corrosive and can burn living tissue.

Even when used to bleach clothing, it is greatly diluted with water. Imagine what it could do full strength to your biological tissue. You certainly don’t want to gargle with it or leave it for any prolonged amount of time on your gums. You could cause burns or other damage. Additionally, if bleach comes into contact with certain chemicals, it can be changed into a chlorine gas, which is deadly.

The safest, as well as most efficient manner of “bleaching” your teeth is with professional teeth whitening. Your dentist can prepare custom fitted bleaching trays that will keep the whitening gel on your teeth while simultaneously protecting your gums.

So, if any of you are considering Clorox, I’m going to recommend against it.

This blog is brought to you by Arnold, MD Dentist Dr. Meredith Esposito.
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