Can Hydrogen Peroxide Damage Your Teeth? Uses & Safety (2024)

FAQs

Can Hydrogen Peroxide Damage Your Teeth? Uses & Safety? ›

While hydrogen peroxide may help whiten the teeth in certain situations, there are some important safety issues to consider. Hydrogen peroxide can cause damage to the enamel of the teeth if a person uses the solution incorrectly.

Hydrogen peroxide is an inexpensive household product you probably have on hand right now. When used carefully, it can be an effective way to whiten your teeth. But if used incorrectly — in concentrations that are too high or if used too often — it can cause serious and sometimes expensive tooth damage.

Chemical toxicity

Direct exposure of skin or eyes to 30 per cent hydrogen peroxide may cause severe irritation or burns, while ingestion may be irritating to the oesophagus and stomach, causing bleeding and sudden distension.

If correctly used, hydrogen peroxide is safe for most people. However, it can be harmful to your teeth if you use it too often or make the concentration too strong. It is important to know that you should not use food-grade hydrogen peroxide to gargle since it contains more than 35% concentration.

It is not recommended that you leave hydrogen peroxide on your teeth overnight as it could cause erosion to your tooth enamel or irritation to your gums.

Due to its various health risks, most dentists don't recommend using hydrogen peroxide frequently. But you can use it sometimes in low concentrations to remove stains from the teeth or control gum-related problems.

Whitens teeth

For deeper cleaning, people safely can mix baking soda with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to create a toothpaste.

The fact that dental professionals choose peroxide over saltwater should tell you one thing: saltwater gargles are fine in a pinch, but hydrogen peroxide rinses are actually preferable. Peroxide rinses mix water with 3% hydrogen peroxide to help clean, brighten, and prevent gum damage.

The FDA has approved the use of hydrogen peroxide as a temporary oral debriding agent. Hydrogen peroxide can break through the slime barrier that protects biofilm and destroys bacterial cell walls. It releases oxygen and creates an environment unfit for anaerobic bacteria to survive.

You should limit your hydrogen peroxide usage to one treatment at a time to reduce the risk of harm. It is typically safe to swallow small amounts of low concentration hydrogen peroxide, but an even better practice is to spit and rinse after use to limit the amount of time that the compound is on your teeth.

Can hydrogen peroxide permanently damage gums? ›

Hydrogen peroxide is a highly reactive substance which can damage oral soft tissues and hard tissues when present in high concentrations and with exposures of prolonged duration.

Chronic Exposure

Because hydrogen peroxide is rapidly decomposed in the body, it is unlikely to cause chronic toxicity. However, repeated exposures to hydrogen peroxide vapor may cause chronic irritation of the respiratory tract and partial or complete lung collapse.

Using a paste made of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide is said to remove plaque buildup and bacteria to get rid of stains. Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. Rinse your mouth thoroughly with water after brushing with this paste.

Generally at this concentration you would need to have your teeth in contact with the 3% hydrogen peroxide for about 5 hours a day for about 2-3 weeks to have meaningful tooth whitening, which is very difficult to do with a watery liquid.

Hydrogen peroxide is something almost everyone has in their cabinet. It has many household and first-aid uses, but it's best known for preventing infections in cuts and for being an effective mouthwash. This simple first aid staple is one of the best remedies for an infected tooth.

However, combining hydrogen peroxide from your medicine cabinet with toothpaste to make a homemade teeth whitener is not recommended. Peroxide in toothpaste and other dental products bleaches teeth to make them whiter. However, the concentration of peroxide in these products is low and carefully controlled.