My youth group is having an activity for the junior high girls. We’re having facials, doing yoga, makeup, and whitening our teeth with lemons. My mother says that I can do all of it except the lemons. I was mad but she insisted it is bad for my teeth. I don’t think the youth group leaders would do something that was dangerous for our teeth. She said if I found a dentist to say it was safe, I could do it. So…here I am. Will you please tell my mother it is safe and she is worrying over nothing?
Natalie
Dear Natalie,
I am glad you wrote. Your youth group event sounds fun! I know it probably feels like your mom panics over everything, but imagine for a moment if you were responsible for the feeding, clothing, housing, education, and safety of someone you loved like mad. You might be panicky too! While I can’t vouch for all your mom’s fears, this one has some merit.
There are all kinds of DIY teeth whitening ideas on line. Some of them are okay. Some are dangerous. Some are neither, but won’t really whiten your teeth. So where do the lemons fit in? Lemons are a citrus fruit. This means that they contain citrus acid. The acid in the citrus will etch the surface of the tooth, giving it a frothy appearance. At first this will make it look whiter, which is why so many people think it is useful for teeth whitening. Unfortunately, the etching also means that your tooth enamel is damaged.
Damaged tooth enamel ends up picking up stains very easily, as well as putting it at greater risk for decay. That means your teeth will end up more stained than they were before your lemony whitening attempt. I’m sure your youth leaders have the best of intentions and read online that this was safe. Unfortunately, there are a LOT of things online that sound authoritative that are erroneous, even from official sites. This is one of them. So, in this case, you mom is correct and it is not a good idea. Though there are good over the counter whitening kits, the safest and fastest way to whiten your teeth is with professional teeth whitening through a dentist.
Maybe you could pass this onto your youth leaders and instead of doing the lemons, you could try new hairstyles, play a game, or see who can come up with the funniest stories.
Have fun at your event.
This blog is brought to you by Portage, MI Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.