![]() We believe that this will help both dentists and patients to assess the benefits and the potential risks of whitening treatments. Here we present an overview of common teeth whitening agents and discuss their efficiency as well as potential risks from a chemist’s viewpoint. Ĭonsequently, oral care companies have introduced many different teeth whitening products. Additionally, the tooth color in general also depends on the tooth age. Lifestyle habits like smoking or consumption of red wine or black tea can lead to darker teeth. This is due to cosmetic reasons, because many people prefer white teeth and a bright smile as it may also affect their quality of life. In addition to that, an increasing number of oral care products also (sometimes mainly) focus on teeth whitening. Modern toothpastes are highly complex formulations which contain many different agents for the prevention of caries and periodontitis, e.g., fluorides (sodium fluoride, amine fluoride etc.), chlorhexidine, stannous, zinc salts and calcium phosphates such as hydroxyapatite or amorphous calcium phosphates, and surfactants as well as different abrasives for an efficient plaque removal. Caries and periodontitis can be prevented mainly by tooth brushing with a manual or electric toothbrush in combination with toothpaste as well as a healthy diet (e.g., low sugar intake, no excessive use of erosive drinks) and lifestyle (e.g., no smoking, low levels of stress, not being overweight). The aim of modern oral care products is to prevent caries and periodontitis, which are common challenges of our societies worldwide. In this context, whitening is defined as any means to increase the visual whiteness of a tooth. Whitening formulations for home use (e.g., toothpastes in combination with toothbrushes) and professional use in the dental practice (e.g., bleaching or professional dental cleaning) try to address this problem. įurthermore, the “natural” white color of teeth is often compromised due to stains resulting from wine, tea, coffee, smoking, etc. However, due to continuous chemical and mechanical wear of enamel with increasing age (erosion, etc.), the enamel will become thinner and more translucent, i.e., the dentin will become more visible and the overall tooth color will become darker. Consequently, natural enamel has a white color with some translucency. The original color of pure hydroxyapatite (i.e., without substituting foreign ions) is colorless/white, which also broadly holds for the integrated proteins. The enamel surface itself is covered by the pellicle, which contains mainly salivary proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. ![]() Its hardness and fracture toughness stem from a complex entanglement of the hydroxyapatite needles that are connected via an organic protein phase. Enamel, the outer part of a tooth, is a highly mineralized tissue containing about 97% hydroxyapatite in the form of micrometer-long needles that form a complex hierarchical organized microstructure. The inner part of a tooth is called dentin, which is a protein-rich bone-like biocomposite containing about 70% hydroxyapatite with proteins (mainly collagen) and water forming the rest. The mineral phase of human teeth consists of calcium phosphate in the form of hydroxyapatite, Ca 5(PO 4) 3(OH). ![]() The effect of other whitening agents in vivo is often unclear because of a shortage of placebo-controlled clinical trials. The applicability of abrasives in teeth whitening is limited due to potential tooth wear, especially when toothpastes with high RDA values are used. In-office bleaching using peroxides is effective, but side effects like tooth sensitivity or a damage of the natural organic matrix of enamel and dentin may occur. Frequently used whitening agents are abrasives (mechanical removal of stains), antiredeposition agents (prevention of deposition of chromophores), colorants (intended to lead to a white color), proteases (degradation of proteins), peroxides (oxidation of organic chromophores), and surfactants (removal of hydrophobic compounds from tooth surface). The current whitening methods are analyzed and discussed from a chemist’s viewpoint. Therefore, a comprehensive literature survey on teeth whitening agents and products was conducted. The aim of this review is to summarize and discuss frequently used whitening agents and their efficacy from a chemical viewpoint. Besides prevention of caries and periodontitis, an increasing number of oral care products focus on teeth whitening. ![]()
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