How Your Grinds Harm

Teeth are an important part of physical appearance for many, and they want to show a bright white smile. However, a new study reveals that many tooth - white products can actually harm them. New research reveals why we should treat teeth carefully. Studies have shown that most human teeth are not naturally white pearls. Indeed, most teeth are different shades and colors that tend to yellow. Even teeth are not uniform. In spite of that, there is an idea which is especially evident in North American societies that are a symbol of beauty and care. Hence, many people choose to make their teeth white - whether by themselves or by a cosmetic dentist.

Statistics show that some 40.5 million people in the U.S. use dental bleach products in 2018. Various studies now indicate that the teeth with bleaching products containing hydrogen peroxide can endanger their health. Researchers from Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey, intended to discover exactly how hydrogen peroxide hurts teeth. The research, which was conducted by Kelly Keenan, an associate professor of chemistry at Stockton University, will be presented in Orlando.

Researchers have particularly seen how bleach products damage one of the three layers of teeth, usually containing hydrogen peroxide as the main active ingredient. Now, Keenan and the team have discovered how hydrogen peroxid damages dentine, middle “ <x1) layer of teeth. One tooth contains three different layers: a shiny outer layer, a layer of dentine in the middle, and an inner layer that is primarily a binding tissue that helps keep the tooth in place.

The hydrogen peroxide, Keenan explains, can penetrate the enamel and infiltrate the dentine, which contains about 90-95 percent of the collagen.

Keenan and the team discovered that the collagen present in the dentina becomes fragmented when exposed to hydrogen peroxide, which leads to the loss of collagen mass in that layer. Our results showed that the concentration treatment of hydrogen peroxide similar to those found in bleaching products is enough to eliminate the original collagen protein, which is apparently due to the formation of many smaller fragments”, Keenan said. The team is not yet sure whether this damage is permanent or whether there is any way to prevent it. In the future, researchers also plan to find out whether hydrogen peroxide affects not only collagen but also other proteins containing dentina.