Teeth Whitening?

Question

I went to the dentist today to have my teeth whitened. While applying the whitener with the syringe, the syringe exploded! The whitener got into my gums, lips, and toungue. It bubbled and burned like acid and by the time I left the dentist, my lips were swollen like balloons. My mouth is still swollen and burning and now I am getting random, excruciating shooting pains in my teeth! I tried to get to a Dr but they were closed. I am so scared that my teeth are ruined for good! I am afraid to open my mouth or have anything to eat or drink because I am in so much pain. I don't know what to do. I heard of increased sensitivity after whitening, but I thought that was just with hot and cold- not randomly. Will this ever go away? What can I do- I think that stuff burned my mouth!

Answer 1

yikes. and your dentist wasn't concerned? i mean, they didn't give you anything for pain or tell you what to expect? get some sensodyne toothpaste and put it on your teeth. let it sit for a few minutes. don't swallow it. that should help your teeth be less sensitive. do it at least twice a day.

dentists use a 15 to 35 percent hydrogen peroxide gelssolution with carbamide peroxide, but the acids in your mouth neutralize it right away, so you should be ok. it can cause sensitivity, especially if the tube explodes. i don't think your teeth will have any long term effects. just rinse with water and call your dentist tomorrow. go to dr if it gets worse. studies show little to no damage to the mineralization in teeth.

Carbamide peroxide, also called urea peroxide, is an oxidising agent, consisting of hydrogen peroxide compounded with urea. The molecular formula is CH6N2O3, or CH4N2O.H2O2. It is white crystalline material that releases oxygen in contact with water.

This chemical is commonly encountered in cosmetic dentistry, where it is used to "bleach" teeth. The active ingredient is hydrogen peroxide, which acts to oxidise interprismatic extrinsic staining within tooth enamel. There are several methods of applying the peroxide gel to the tooth ranging from night-guard application at home or in-surgery application. The bleaching obtained is proportional to the length of time the peroxide is applied to the tooth, and the concentration used.

The chemical is a skin, eye and respiratory irritant. It is also corrosive and causes burns. It doesn't hurt at 10% concentration (3% peroxide equivalent) but it does hurt at 35% equivalent, causing white chemical burns on skin and gums alike.

A 6.5% concentration solution is used to loosen and remove earwax. A 10% solution in glycerol is used to treat ulcers and other lesions in the mouth, and is sold under the trade-name Gly-Oxide.

carbamide and hydrogen peroxide available from the dentist may weaken the enamel, but most of these formulas also contain fluoride offsetting this potential side-effect. People who use higher concentrations of whitening agents can also receive prescription fluoride gels from their dentist to help further protect their teeth.

Answer 2

Shame on your dentist with allowing you to leave without telling you what to do if you had problems, especially if he knew there was a problem in the process of whitening! I'm guessing that your teeth will be fine, however. (Although I'm not a doctor.) You can probably try calling his office number--they probably have an emergency operator that will take messages and have him call you back with instructions on what to do. I looked online and saw that the pain you're experiencing is not uncommon, however. Some people claim it's the worse pain they're ever had. Try taking some pain relief and call your dentist and hope. Good luck.

Answer 3

Commercial tooth whiteners use hydrogen peroxide and
are expensive and inconvenient. A cheap and natural
tooth whitening home remedy uses few strawberries
but certain precautions have to be followed. details
available at