ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2009) — UV light-enhanced tooth bleaching is not only a con, but is dangerous to your eyes and skin, says a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

The light treatment gives absolutely no benefit over bleaching without UV, and damages skin and eyes up to four times as much as sunbathing, reports a study in Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences.

Those looking to match Tom Cruise’s glittering pearly-whites would be better off ignoring claims of better bleaching with UV light treatment.

The treatment is at least as damaging to skin and eyes as sunbathing in Hyde Park for a midsummer’s afternoon – one lamp actually gave four times that level of radiation exposure.

And as with sunbathing, fair-skinned or light-sensitive people are at even greater risk, said lead author Ellen Bruzell of the Nordic Institute of Dental Materials.

Bruzell also found that bleaching damaged teeth. She saw more exposed grooves on the enamel surface of bleached teeth than on unbleached teeth. These grooves make the teeth more vulnerable to mechanical stress.

Tooth bleaching is one of the most popular cosmetic dental treatments available. It uses a bleaching agent – usually hydrogen peroxide – to remove stains such as those from red wine, tea and coffee, and smoking.

UV light is claimed to further activate the oxidation process, improving bleaching efficiency. The authors of this Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences article say there is very little substantive evidence to support this claim, and their new study finds no benefit to using UV light.

Story Source:

Adapted from materials provided by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

Journal Reference:

1. Bruzell et al. In vitro efficacy and risk for adverse effects of light-assisted tooth bleaching. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2009; DOI: 10.1039/b813132e

enlarge

Person receiving UV light-assisted tooth bleaching treatment. (Credit: Image courtesy of RSC)

Related Stories

Hydrogen Peroxide Tooth Whiteners Do Not Cause Cancer, Study Finds (Nov. 16, 2006) — Common tooth whitening products, which have been used by millions of people, are found to be safe and do not increase the risk of oral cancer when used as directed. This exhaustive review of the ...  > read more

Sunburn Alert: UVB Does More Damage To DNA Than UVA (July 1, 2008) — As bombs burst in air this July 4, chances are that sunburn will be the red glare that most folks see -- and feel. But unfortunately, even when there is no burn, the effects of the sun's ultraviolet ...  > read more

Blue-Eyed Humans Have A Single, Common Ancestor (Jan. 31, 2008) — New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. Scientists have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6,000-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye color ...  > read more

Skin's Natural Protection Against UVB And Dehydration Discovered (May 22, 2007) — Ultraviolet rays can be harmful to our skin and pave the way to the onset of skin cancers. Researchers have now demonstrated that the caspase-14 protein -- whose function has been unknown up to now ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

New Light Bulb