The wikipedia article about this seems pretty good. Have you read it?
I just did and it looks like it has some good information. I heard about strawberries being able to whiten teeth. That seemed a little counterintuitive to me, since I thought it might redden my teeth if anything.
Guess I'll start eating more strawberries and apples.
The risks listed in the article berkeman posted can be severe, too.
Besides, I see people everywhere with fake-looking, overly whitened teeth. It looks ridiculous.
The risks don't bother me except for the tooth enamel damage, which is kinda vague. The enamel is damaged in what way? And is it permanent damage?
I've used teeth whitening strips before. I've gotten the sensitive teeth effect, but it's not bad, and it doesn't last long. The hydrogen peroxide they use on those strips seems pretty strong. Sometimes if my finger touches it, my finger will turn white where the substance touched, but it doesn't hurt and it goes away. But those strips work really well. I haven't noticed any problems with my teeth after using them, and the whiteness stays for quite a while afterwards. Seemed like almost a year or more.
And I agree, the super white teeth look strange, but the whiteness you get from the strips is just enough to give you a really nice smile. I think it's really attractive for women to have teeth that stand out when they smile. If you smile and your teeth just kinda blend in with your face, it's not a good look to me.
I've been cautioned by my dentist not to use over the counter whitening products. He's a good family friend so I trust him. I'd only get it professionally done.
Did he give you any reasons? Or was his reason that he wanted you to purchase his whitening procedure?
Yes, the problem is that tooth enamel can be irreparably damaged, causing many problems.
The whole "white teeth' thing is a marketing scam pushed on the populace, which, unfortunately, has been accepted as the new norm. Normal teeth are no longer acceptable, only artificially whitened teeth are acceptable.
In what ways can it be irreparably damaged? That's the kinda thing that concerns me. If I were to use the method that I thought of, I probably wouldn't keep it on over night, just in case.
I'd hope it's not societal pressure that makes me attracted to women who have white teeth, because it's a strong effect. If a woman is pretty, and she has teeth that aren't very white, it kinda detracts from her good looks. Even if I see a guy with white teeth, and he's fairly good looking, those white teeth are like the icing on the cake. As a straight male, I can even appreciate white teeth adding to the good looks of men as well. I think there's a reason white teeth are more attractive than off-white teeth, and I don't think that reason is societal pressure.
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