Can i use peroxide to brush my teeth

Brushing teeth with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide are among the popular DIY whitening methods that you will hear from many influencers online and even written about in lifestyle articles. 

Beyond their remarkable bleaching features, the remaining question is if these substances are safe to use on our teeth. As a trusted cosmetic and teeth whitening dentist in Charlotte, Dr. Ramsey with Build-A-Smile will share the safety concerns of using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide on your teeth.   

Baking soda and hydrogen as bleaching agents

Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate bleaches our teeth through an oxidative process. It is a substance that forms an alkaline solution when mixed with water. When the alkaline solution gets in contact with our teeth, free radicals from the solution target the stains and begin the bleaching process.  

What’s good about brushing with baking soda is it also serves other purposes aside from whitening. It also:

• Help prevent plaque buildup on your teeth that contributes to lower risks of developing tooth decay and gum disease.
• Balances the acidity levels of food residue that helps fight bad breath.
• Speeds up the healing process of mouth ulcers.

On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide begins a chemical process by breaking down the stains and dissolving them through an oxidation process. It ranks as the best tooth whitener due to its bleaching capacity without damaging your teeth and putting your oral health at risk. 

Risks of DIY teeth whitening using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide

While baking soda and hydrogen peroxide have several benefits, they can also pose some risks due to excessive use. According to the American Dental Association, going beyond the ideal 3.6% concentration of hydrogen peroxide can be damaging to your teeth. 

Baking soda is also mildly abrasive, where excessive use can scratch-off delicate parts of our teeth. Other risks associated with these substances include:

• Gum irritation: The abrasive nature of baking soda and the extreme acidity from hydrogen peroxide solution can irritate and damage the gums. It is the reason why in dental practices, dentists use a protective gel or rubber on the gums to protect them from high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide during a teeth whitening treatment. 
• Enamel damage: Our teeth may look and feel sturdy, but they can’t heal themselves. Scratches from aggressive brushing with baking soda can cause small openings on the tooth surface and lead to tooth decay. 

Prolonged use of highly-concentrated hydrogen peroxide on your teeth can remove minerals from the tooth enamel, which exposes the dentin and causes extreme tooth sensitivity.

• Affects dental bonding: Restorations on a chipped or a cracked tooth that is fixed with a composite resin or dental bond are not as strong as our actual tooth. They can get easily worn out if scratched with baking soda and become more susceptible to breakage.
   
• Cause extreme teeth sensitivity: Frequent use of highly-concentrated hydrogen peroxide removes minerals from the tooth enamel and exposes the inner layer of your teeth or dentin. 

Though sensitive teeth are a usual after-effect of professional teeth whitening treatments, the level of tooth damage cannot be gauged in DIY whitening since it is not supervised by a dental professional.  

Why risk your teeth if you can have a safe whitening treatment at Build-A-Smile?

A DIY teeth whitening gone wrong may lead to irreversible tooth damage. Experience a guided approach to teeth whitening with the help of our dental professionals at Build-A-Smile. We will discuss with you what to expect during your appointment and the dos and don’ts post-treatment.

Yes, you can put hydrogen peroxide straight on your teeth — but only in low concentrations. That’s because hydrogen peroxide is very reactive. Using it in high concentrations or for a long period of time may damage your gums and teeth. If you're considering using hydrogen peroxide regularly, only use it in low concentrations. That way, you'll avoid harming your oral tissues (soft and hard).

Hydrogen peroxide is a colorless liquid (when undiluted) that has a slightly pungent smell. It’s widely used in industries and in self-administered medicinal use. You can also use it at home to bleach hair or clothes and clean surfaces. Due to its reactive nature, hydrogen peroxide can cause irritation when it comes into contact with your skin, eyes, and throat or by inhalation through your nose.

Hydrogen peroxide has a bitter taste. It's nonflammable, meaning it doesn’t catch fire easily. The hydrogen peroxide used in households usually has a concentration of about 3% to 9%. This chemical is known to be a powerful oxidizing agent with antiviral and antibacterial properties. That makes it a good disinfectant solution.

Industries use hydrogen peroxide to make rocket fuel, organic chemicals, bleached textiles and paper, and foam rubber. People who work in such industries are at a higher risk of inhaling or coming into contact with high concentrations of the chemical.

How to use hydrogen peroxide on your teeth

You can use hydrogen peroxide to whiten your teeth since it has natural bleaching properties. But using it on your teeth carries the risk of getting tooth sensitivity and gum inflammation. Some kinds of toothpaste and mouth washing products contain small concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. Avoid using pure hydrogen peroxide on your teeth or for other uses at home. Consider using safer options like gel or whitening strips. They are more effective at whitening teeth than toothpaste or mouthwash.

Before whitening your teeth at home, make sure you get a dental checkup from your dentist first. This will make sure that any issues, like tooth cracks or cavities, get fixed. Trying to whiten your teeth while you have issues like this may cause irritation during whitening.

To whiten your teeth at home using hydrogen peroxide, use a low-concentration hydrogen peroxide gel in a mouthguard that’s custom-made for you by your dentist. Whitening your teeth at home may take up to two weeks, while at your dentist, it can take only one and half hours. But doing it at home might be a better option for you. That's because it’s less expensive, and you can continue whitening your teeth until you get the results you want.

Adverse effects of hydrogen peroxide

Sometimes hydrogen peroxide can cause more harm than just irritation. Some of the adverse effects of ingesting, inhaling, or coming into contact with hydrogen peroxide include:

• Respiratory issues. Inhaling hydrogen peroxide may cause issues ranging from coughs and difficulty breathing to more serious conditions like bronchitis and pulmonary edema. These respiratory conditions can be fatal.
• Gastrointestinal tract issues. Ingesting hydrogen peroxide may cause severe digestive system irritation, gas embolism (gas bubbles getting into your blood circulation), or even death. If you have gastrointestinal irritation, you may get symptoms like foaming from the mouth, stomach pain, vomiting, distended stomach, fever, shock, lethargy, unconsciousness, hematemesis (vomiting blood), or respiratory failure.
• Skin issues. Diluted hydrogen peroxide may cause bleaching or whitening of the skin. If the solution contains 35% hydrogen peroxide, you may get mild skin irritation. Solutions with over 50% hydrogen peroxide may cause severe burns, ulcers, blisters, permanent scarring, or severe skin irritation and corrosion.
• Eye problems. If a solution of over 35% hydrogen peroxide gets into your eye, it may cause corneal burns, conjunctivitis, corrosion, photophobia, lacrimation, or even permanent blindness.

Alternatives to hydrogen peroxide

If you want to whiten your teeth without using hydrogen peroxide, consider teeth whitening products that contain phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP), a chemical that functions just as well. This chemical can be used in place of hydrogen peroxide since it’s effective and safer. Phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid does not cause damage to the hard or soft tissues of the mouth.

Baking soda is also effective in teeth whitening. Toothpaste products containing baking soda work better in cleaning teeth stains than regular toothpaste. It's also less abrasive and has no adverse effects compared to hydrogen peroxide.

Another option for teeth whitening is the traditional method of oil pulling. The only downside to using this method is that it takes more time to apply and may not give you the results you may be looking for. Also, there is no conclusive research that shows that it actually whitens teeth. Oil pulling involves using oils like coconut, sesame, or sunflower oil.

QUESTION

Tips to help you avoid teeth stains

While hydrogen peroxide may help to remove teeth stains, there are ways you can use it to prevent the stains from forming in the first place. Consider doing the following to avoid staining:

• Stop smoking
• Brush and floss at least twice daily
• Avoid foods or drinks that cause teeth staining (like tea, wine, and coffee)
• Visit your dentist regularly for cleanings to remove any stains starting to form

Other uses of hydrogen peroxide

Besides teeth whitening, hydrogen peroxide can also work as a mouth rinse to get rid of mucus and mild mouth irritations. In your household, hydrogen peroxide can be effective for getting rid of mildew and mold in dishwashers, washing some vegetables, and cleaning countertops, mirrors, or cutting boards.

Hydrogen peroxide is one of the best solutions you can use to disinfect surfaces. It’s also effective for removing stubborn stains from carpets, clothing, tiles, and ceramic utensils.

Conclusion

If you accidentally ingest, inhale, or come into contact with hydrogen peroxide when cleaning your teeth, make sure to talk to your doctor for advice on what to do next.

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Medically Reviewed on 7/5/2022

References

SOURCES:

Australian Dental Journal: "Safety issues relating to the use of hydrogen peroxide in dentistry."

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Hydrogen Peroxide."

Cleveland Clinic: "How to Whiten Your Teeth: 4 Home Remedies," "What Is Hydrogen Peroxide Good For?"

Dentistry Journal: "A Radical-Free Approach to Teeth Whitening."

National Center for Biotechnology Information: "Hydrogen peroxide."

PHE Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards: "Hydrogen Peroxide."

University of Rochester Medical Center Rochester: "DIY Teeth Whitening: Too Good to Be True?"

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