Does LED teeth whitening actually work? Read on to find out the dark side of LED teeth whitening (spoiler alert: the LED light on your home whitening kits does not do anything!)
If you like to keep up with the Kardashians, you might know that they were all about LED whitening a few years ago which blew up the demand for these teeth whitening products.
Unfortunately, at-home LED whitening is another example of a trend that is all hype and no substance. A 2012 study found that home LED whitening treatments did not produce any significant results for teeth whitening.
LED lights are not an essential part of a home teeth whitening kit.
What Actually Makes Teeth Whiter?
Hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide are the main ingredients in teeth whitening gels.
Hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent that whitens your teeth from the inside of your teeth. Carbamide peroxide breaks down to form hydrogen peroxide, so it is a slower-acting and longer-lasting way to bleach your teeth.
LED teeth whitening uses blue colour LED lights that have a frequency that can speed up the activation of hydrogen peroxide to whiten your teeth.
In the past, dentists used to use ultraviolet rays used on crime shows like CSI to find bloodstains, but this stopped because exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause cancer.
Note that dentists use high intensity LED light or laser light which is why in-clinic LED whitening treatments are effective. The light used by dentists has the same frequency as ultraviolet light.
Home LED teeth whitening kits use a lower intensity of light which is why they are not effective.
But So Many People Have Gotten Results From Home LED Teeth Whitening Kits!
This is because you usually use whitening gels in these kits that have hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide.
The whitening effect is caused by these bleaching agents – not the LED light!
The LED lights are like the slacker in your group project who only shows up on presentation day and “smoked” his way through – while everyone else thinks he did the work.
Furthermore, these LED whitening kits cannot legally exceed a limit of 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. This is barely enough to show effective results.
LED whitening kits that do exceed the 0.1% hydrogen peroxide content are very dangerous. The Health Sciences Authority warned Singaporeans against using the Beautiful – Cold Light Whitening Kit which contained 4% hydrogen peroxide that are potentially corrosive.
It can also worsen any existing dental problems you might have such as periodontal disease (gum disease) or gingivitis and can cause chemical burns to your gums.
Sure, you might see whiter teeth from using these LED whitening kits, but is this coming at the cost of the health of your teeth or gums?
Cut Out The Flashy Gimmicks And Go For Teeth Whitening Products With Substance
Now that you know that you have to go for the true workhorses of teeth whitening (your teeth whitening gels), how can you get your hands on it?
As we mentioned, a non-medical teeth whitening kit cannot have more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide content so they are largely ineffective.
Medical-grade teeth whitening kits can only be obtained through a dentist.
ZenyumBright™ Starter Kit, our very own medical-grade teeth whitening kit, includes dental consultations so that a dentist can guide you on the proper usage of your teeth whitening kit.
It comes with dental trays customised for your teeth and teeth whitening gel containing carbamide peroxide and potassium nitrate.
A dentist can make use of higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide for more effective whitening while helping you to manage tooth sensitivity and preventing you from burning your gums.
That’s the formula you need for a bright, blinding smile.
You can turn to the light side too!
Let the truth of teeth whitening shine through with ZenyumBright™.
