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Are OTC Whiteners Risky Business For Your Teeth?

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Are OTC Whiteners Risky Business For Your Teeth_In Pitt Street Dental Centre At Sydney
The world of being enamoured by, and wanting to achieve a beauty standard symbolised by the colour white, has history.

Using lead in cosmetics has history too.

Kohl used as an eye-liner by the ancient Egyptians was basically dark lead; it took until 1920 for the first non-toxic mascara to be made by Rimmel. White lead makeup poisoned many an 18th century socialite.

Relatively speaking, maybe tooth whiteners are doing the same to 21st century modern society.

One of the most celebrated beauties of her time and born in 1732, beau monde Maria Gunning, the Countess of Coventry, lived under the sovereignty of King George II. Mobbed whenever she appeared in public, she garnered the fame, and overwhelming admiration for her looks of which Meghan Markle dreams and schemes. Both the dead and alive in this scenario sought to attain the positive consequences associated with that.

Only there are none.

Apparently, having loads of money, stunning looks and the adulation of many can actually make you unhappy.

At least that what university studies show.

Though the Western cultural emphasis on wealth and celebrity are incomprehensibly strong, the pursuit of these goals contribute very little to the accomplishment of a fulfilling and satisfying life.

Psychological surveys assessed key areas: self-esteem, anxiety, physical signs of stress, experiences of positive and negative emotions, and overall satisfaction with life. Post-grads were selected as research participants because typically, being no longer at home or university is a critical juncture for young adults.

For the first time, they’re in a position to determine how they want their lives to proceed.

In psychology there’s always been a strong tradition that says if you attain valued goals, wellness follows. Earlier studies always showed the more commitment to a goal, the greater the likelihood of success.

What was never considered in those earlier studies was the subject of these goals. Later analysis, and life experience, revealed that getting what you want isn’t always the most favourable outcome.

It certainly proved to be the case for the Countess of Coventry. A victim of vanity, her astounding beauty was eaten away by the noxious effects of lead oxide makeup, and the acid formed by the moisture of her once flawless complexion.

It is said that the Countess refused to stop wearing the toxic foundation even as she lay dying, at the age of 27.

Which technically, entitles her membership to the 27 Club.

Since inclusion is entirely notional, Maria Gunning could in fact rub ethereal shoulders with boomer’s most familiar enrollees: Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. Certainly all of them rich, famous and beautiful in their own unique way.

Queen Elizabeth I used a mixture of white lead and vinegar on her face to cover heavy smallpox scarring. It was a concoction that enabled higher quantities of lead to absorb into the skin than other ‘Venetian Ceruse’ formulations of the period. All of her hair, and most of her teeth had gone by the time she died in 1603, at the age of sixty-nine. Reportedly at her death, she had a full inch of makeup covering her face after having refused to be bathed or attended to for a considerable length of time.

It was probably swiftly reciprocal, by the sounds of it.

Having always denied permission for an autopsy, Queen Elizabeth I’s cause of death can only ever be presumed.

Blood poisoning (from the lead), pneumonia, streptococcus and cancer are all on her dance card. What can also not be overlooked, is that her coronation ring had never been off her finger in her 45-year reign. In the week prior to her death, physicians had carried out its removal because it had fused to her skin.

What’s the bet that James I didn’t know that when it was delivered to him as a token of her death.

It’s not just in 17th century elegant madness that the confluence of wealth, fame and beauty demands an ugly price.

See pop art’s patent prince, Andy Warhol, and 1960s crazy darling icon Edie Sedgwick, for a white-hot, completely doomed tale of romantic obsession that lasted just a under year, to remain utterly eternal. Were anyone wanting to play ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’, the short-cut is that the late, brutalised, and spectacular Edie is a first cousin once removed of Kyra Sedgwick, the talented Mr Bacon’s versatile wife.

Talent and versatility don’t always extend to every aspect of our lives – some things need be left in the hands of professionals. It’s all well and good to change the colour of a room, but changing the colour of your teeth is a much more risky biz. If it all goes wrong, you can’t repaint or re-plaster your teeth.

Everyone wants white teeth. It is an instant representation of health and wealth – even though it’s a misnomer that whitest teeth are the healthiest teeth. Tooth colour has very little to do with dental health.

However, consumer perception is that white teeth equate to a healthy mouth – and perception is reality.

Are OTC Whiteners Risky Business For Your Teeth_At Pitt Street Dental Centre At Sydney
Research shows that some OTC whitening products can be very damaging to tooth enamel. Conventional whitening strips and gel products contain the active ingredient carbamide peroxide, which breaks down to hydrogen peroxide. Routinely applying whitening products over time has been proven to erode enamel, and create tooth sensitivity.

Overuse can also increase the likelihood of tooth decay. It is not unknown for the overuse of OTC products to cause so much damage to dental tissue that root canals have been required.

All products and procedures used by a dentist to rectify tooth discolouration, or brighten the white of a smile are safely administered.

Professional whitening avoids situations of overbleaching where enamel becomes translucent and unnaturally grey.

Aside from consulting your dentist about the most suitable whitening procedures for you, there are ways to help naturally avoid tooth staining. General inclusions are maintaining a healthy diet, brushing after eating, oil pulling, rubbing with apple cider vinegar and rinsing, and always being properly hydrated.

OTC whiteners can’t guarantee the results you want. Your dentist can.

And keep in mind that it may not change your life in the way you hope it might. Achieving happiness requires more than just looking good. It takes personal evolution, knowing how to have loving relationships, understanding the transience of life and its events, and making useful, heartfelt contributions to your immediate community.

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