Beauty Blogging and the rise of DIY teeth whitening

Straight, white, glowing teeth have always been a signifier of both glowing health and radiant beauty, something that the majority of us will invest time and money in achieving. In recent years, with the rise of online video gurus and beauty blogs becoming the faces and flagships of whats in and on trend, fashion and beauty is now governed by women and men writing and filming from often the comfort of their own bedrooms, often broadcasting their personal thoughts to audiences all over the world in their vast numbers. So, its no surprise that  ‘how-to-achieve-a-bleach-white-smile’ in its many forms has been an issue much discussed online, with thousands of ‘DIY whitening’ kits and products being tested, reviewed, purchased, and almost as many ‘homemade’ teeth whitening techniques being tried and deliberated.

So what’s the issue here? Mainly, the risks to your teeth and oral health that come with advice given by someone whom is not a medical professional, and products available to the public that have not been clinically tested. Already, countless chemical teeth whitening products have been recalled and banned for containing potentially harmful, toxic substances, as it is very easy to sell a non tested product on the internet.

Many of these DIY home remedies, that can bee seen on blogs that often have one million plus subscribers, such as ‘brushing your teeth with a little bicarbonate of soda’ to achieve pearly whites, are so corrosive, and detrimental to the external surface of your teeth, the unsuspecting reader may end up permanently damaging their teeth all together!

Now, this is not to say and information of teeth whitening not given to you by a dentist is wrong. For example, the method of ‘coconut pulling’, placing a marble sized amount of coconut butter in your mouth and chewing, is a method currently being studied by medical professionals, not yet given the green light (the benefits and risks are not yet fully known or understood), but not condemned either - it appears that this is a perfectly harmless way of naturally whitening the teeth.

 

So, if you’re looking for a brighter smile, what you should be doing, is asking your dentist before trying anything at home - or purchasing something dodgy!

 

Paige