Dental bleaching is one of the most common cosmetic dentistry procedures, but it is still fraught with risk if you don't get it right. There are mistakes that can reduce the effectiveness of the whitening process as well as mistakes that can increase your risk of suffering the side effects of dental bleaching. Here are some of the mistakes you should watch out for:

 Exceeding the Recommended Bleaching Time

Every whitening product comes with a recommended bleaching time. This is the time the manufacturers have determined is enough to bleach the teeth without causing dangerous side effects. However, some people are tempted to exceed this time in order to make their teeth as whiter as possible. Unfortunately, that may leave you with an irritated mouth and hypersensitive teeth.

Exceeding the Recommended Whitening Concentration

Another dangerous mistake is to use high concentration bleaching products that can damage the teeth. As a rule, at-home whitening products tend to have lower concentrations of peroxide (the main active ingredient in bleaching product) than in-office whiteners. This makes sense because when you bleach your teeth at home, you don't have the knowledge and or expertise to prevent dangerous side effects as a dentist would. This means it's dangerous to use the high-concentration whiteners on your own.

Repeating the Process Too Frequently

Dental bleaching doesn't always result in perfectly white teeth. The degree of possible whitening depends on different factors such as the cause of the discoloration, the extent of the discoloration, and the whitening product used. Some people, however, get disillusioned with the result and repeat the bleaching process (sometimes multiple times) before their teeth recover. In the end, this exposes you to higher doses of whitening products that may result in serious side effects.

Whitening Diseased Teeth

Whitening products are meant to be used on the external tooth surface. This is because they may irritate softer tissues of the mouth. Therefore, if you have a diseased tooth, you should take care of it first before trying to bleach your teeth. For example, if you have a dental cavity or exposed teeth roots, you should consult a dentist for treatment before bleaching your teeth.

Using Improvised Whiteners

Lastly, it is also dangerous to use improvised teeth whiteners that have not been tested and approved by the relevant authorities. For example, some people use baking soda to brush their teeth in an attempt to whiten them. Unfortunately, such abrasive whiteners may weaken your teeth by stripping off the protective enamel that covers the visible portion of each tooth.

Reach out to a cosmetic dentist for more information.