Please talk to me about teeth whitening for teens....

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So DD (14) is really self conscious about her teeth. There's nothing there that her NHS dentist is concerned about. Basically, there's some unevenness in colouring of the front ones, so they could be whiter. This bothers her massively.

She's sending me links to whitening strips and pleading with me for them. I know there are risks to whitening strips, but I think she'll find a way of getting them even if I say no. So instead, I'm thinking of taking her to a reputable specialist cosmetic dentist to discuss options. But ARE there options, at 14? What should I do? Any experiences? Many thanks in advance.

We have been to our local NHS dental hospital for my 12yr old and they are having micro abrasion as they have natural discolouration on their front teeth.

Oh that's interesting @tootiredtospeak - thank you

It is illegal to whiten teeth on an under 18 year old.

It is also illegal to sell whitening strips to the public that contain enough ingredients to whiten teeth. So any strips sold on the internet or elsewhere are sold by people who know they are breaking the law. So what guarantee do you have that they are genuine and safe to use when you are buying from criminals?

The nerve inside a 14 year olds teeth are quite large and can be damaged by the chemicals used to whiten teeth. In very severe cases microabrasion can be used for well defined areas of discoloured enamel .

The problem is youngsters have unnatural expectations of how white teeth should be based on the veneers and Turkey teeth shown in the media, these are not natural colours and are the result of highly invasive and damaging dental work.

Teeth whitening will brighten teeth a little but they will not send teeth “Simon Cowell” white.

I do wonder if a chat about the media and society’s unrealistic beauty and appearence expectations might be of more use as , from the sound of it, her teeth are healthy and within normal appearence parameters .

Thank you so much @Lollygaggle .

There are strips available from the Boots website, and some say you can use them from age 12. Would you say these are a bad idea? Like these, for example:

https://www.boots.com/boots-expert-teeth-whitening-kit-with-blue-light-activation-10266080

Completely useless , they will do nothing at all because they cannot use a sufficient level of hydrogen peroxide to whiten. Instead they use a combination of acid and abrasive to remove stains, which is fine if you have heavy smoking stains . However what will grind away stains will also grind away enamel leading to damage and increased sensitivity.

You cannot buy anything, legally , over the counter to whiten teeth. This is because tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body , harder than bone, and anything strong enough to change its colour has the potential to cause great harm to tooth and gum and needs professional evaluation and prescribing.

Speak to her dentist for advice, there may be other more suitable options that they can suggest.....

Thanks again @Lollygaggle . You sound like you know a lot about this. Have you been down this route yourself, or do you know professionally? Obviously no need to answer if you'd rather not. I'm just accruing evidence for my daughter to try to dissuade....

I could say I have a professional interest but there is no way of proving that.

This is a good overview of the legal situation , it came about because of the damage that tooth whitening can do to tooth and gums. I had to do a root treatment on a front tooth an 18 year old with perfect teeth because she had had illegal tooth whitening. That tooth now has a limited lifespan and will need treatment throughout her life.

https://www.dentalprotection.org/uk/articles/whitening-within-the-law#:~:text=Acting%20in%20contravention%20of%20the,will%20constitute%20a%20criminal%20act.

Has she been for a professional clean? Does she use an electric toothbrush?Does she drink tea/coffee/cola? Smoke?

I had my teeth whitened as a teen ,by the dentist. My parents paid for it. It was almost 30 years ago so I imagine procedures may be different now.

@Lollygaggle - would you mind if I ask a question ( sorry OP)
I've read your replies re an under 18 have tooth whitening but wondered if you feel the same for an older adult with some enamel yellowing rather than staining
Would home whitening with hydrogen Carbamide be a stupid thing to do ?

If it is assessed by a dentist and prescribed by them then a professional has assessed it as safe and appropriate for you.
Hydrogen carbamide breaks down to hydrogen peroxide . Again it is illegal to provide it strong enough to whiten teeth if bought over the counter. If it is strong enough and bought over the counter, or on internet , it is illegal.

Many thanks @Lollygaggle
Much appre

Appreciated 🫣

My 16 year old DD had her teeth professionally whitened by a private dentist recently. I think I paid around £250 for that part of the treatment. She had dental work that involved moving two teeth forward to be beside her front teeth and as these are naturally not as white they were all whitened so her teeth matched.

There was no mention of an age restriction so I'm surprised to learn it's illegal under 18. This was a very reputable private practice and I can't imagine them doing anything illegal.

It took 10 days using trays and gel over night. They are now beautifully white.

Is she old enough to go to the hygienist? I get stains on my teeth from drinking way too much tea and they have a polish/buffing tool with minty powder that always cleans them up beautifully. As you can probably tell from my terrible description, I am not a dental professional.