The Only Teeth Whitening That ACTUALLY Works

Purple serums, charcoal, LED lights and strips: an orthodontist explains which teeth whitening actually works, and why it’s peroxide.

Orthodontist Dr. Ben Winters goes through the ways people are trying to whiten their teeth right now. Most of the yellow isn’t a stain on top of the tooth: the enamel is see-through, and the color comes from the dentin underneath, which shows more as enamel wears thinner. Coffee, tea and wine stains sit on the outside, which is all a whitening toothpaste can polish off.

Purple serums only tint the teeth for a short while, coconut oil pulling mostly works through the swishing, and charcoal toothpaste scrubs enamel away like sandpaper, which makes teeth yellower and more sensitive over time. What actually reaches the dentin is hydrogen or carbamide peroxide, held on the teeth long enough to work, as with strips or trays. The blue LED light didn’t make much difference in studies, and at-home whitening ends up close to the dentist’s chair, just slower.

He also covers why sensitivity happens and how to handle it, why stores in Europe are limited to 0.1% hydrogen peroxide, and what to know about whitening with braces, aligner attachments, permanent retainers and dental work.

• The yellow color comes from the dentin under clear enamel, so stains on top are only part of it.
• Peroxide is what whitens inside the tooth, and it needs time on the teeth to work.
• Charcoal and acidic trends wear enamel down, which can make teeth look yellower and feel more sensitive.
• With brackets on, the spot under each bracket won’t whiten, so wait until they come off.
• Crowns and other dental work don’t whiten, so whiten first and match them afterwards.

Chapters:
0:00 Which whitening trends work?
0:45 Where the yellow color actually comes from
1:31 Whitening toothpaste, baking soda and coconut oil
2:14 Purple and green serums
3:06 Charcoal toothpaste and acid trends
4:25 Peroxide: what actually works
5:17 LED lights and dentist vs at-home whitening
6:41 Teens, cavities and sensitivity
8:16 Whitening with braces, aligners and retainers
9:51 Fillings, crowns and veneers

Dr. Ben Winters is an orthodontist in Plano, Texas, and the owner of Wincrest Orthodontics.

Something Nice is the oral-care company founded by orthodontist Dr. Ben Winters, building next-generation, fluoride-free oral care with 10% nano-hydroxyapatite and its botanical BioFuse™ Oil Matrix.
Zero Toothpaste (10% nano-hydroxyapatite, no fluoride, no SLS): https://www.somethingnicecompany.com/products/zero-toothpaste
Lumismart whitening strips (whitening strips): https://www.somethingnicecompany.com/products/lumismart-whitening-strips
Disclosure: Dr. Ben Winters founded and owns Something Nice and profits from these sales.

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Educational content only, not personal dental advice. See your own dentist or orthodontist about your teeth.

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