Why Hydrogen Peroxide is Bad For Your Teeth
Hydrogen peroxide is heralded in some circles as a cure-all: an alkalizing substance that kills cancer cells, a cleansing and disinfecting mouthwash. However, H202 may not be as safe as some sources may have you believe.
Until recently, little has been known about the way that H202 reacts with teeth. While they are hard and may seem inorganic, teeth are made up of a complex matrix of cells that are in constant flux. The dental pulp (the inside chamber of the tooth) is responsible for creating dentin (the middle layer of tooth), housing nerves, supplying nutrients to the outer layers of tooth, and repairing teeth when damage occurs (by forming more dentin.) The entire tooth’s health depends on the health of the pulp. When the pulp is dead, so is your tooth.
H202 is able to “bleach” and clean the surface of the tooth by the formation of superoxide anions (O2- ions). White and clean teeth are healthy, right? Not so fast.
Researchers have recently found that these superoxide anions can reach inside the tooth and get in to the pulp. Here, they have been found to kill a special type of cell called odontoblasts–the cells in the pulp responsible for creating dentin. Without odontoblasts, the tooth can’t repair itself and is at a higher risk for decay and sensitivity. While a one-time treatment with H2O2 may not have a big effect as the cells are able to replenish themselves, using hydrogen peroxide on a daily basis is suspected to cause a constant barrage of damage to odontoblasts and may affect dental health negatively. Typically the concentrations studied are higher as in the 35-40% as used in whitening treatments, however, even low concentrations have now been shown to permeate the enamel and dentin, affecting the pulp of the tooth.
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23953289
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24163616
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24238450
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19716511
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15147714
Coming Soon: Why You Should Never Drink Hydrogen Peroxide
Oh my goodness! JUST TODAY I was thinking that there could be a correlation between all my dental problems and the fact that (almost daily) I have been using peroxide whitening gel on my teeth for about 14 years!!! Do my teeth look nice to the general public?….yes! I get compliments on my beautiful smile all the time! BUT, I have lost 2 teeth inside of the last several years and am about to lose another one! I am sick over it! This article you wrote, Stephanie, has made me consider stopping the peroxide gel. I have another dental apt this month to see if the one tooth can be saved. I am going to share this with him and see what he says. He has no idea what I use on my teeth. thank you Diane
I also have the same question as Liz. I want to know 3% concentration diluted equal parts to water or aloe vera. My vet has me make a solution of this to brush my dog’s teeth. Is this safe?
@Liz–thanks for your question! The first source listed looked at lower concentrations–the toxicity is dose-dependent, so lower concentrations are better than higher, but appear to still have an effect. I”m currently looking for the full text of that first study.
Did you come across any studies that used the OTC H2O2 in the 3% concentration (that most people have in their homes)? You mentioned that it’s been found that even using peroxide in the lower concentrations causes damage, but all the sources you linked to studied the higher concentrations, 20% being the lowest. Were there no findings published that had researched the effects of the 3% concentration of H2O2? I’m just wondering if it’s still damaging at that concentration (especially when diluted 1:1 with water) and if it can still permeate the enamel and dentin. . .