According to Dr Toni Surace, surgical dentist and founder of The Great Smile Dentist, Australia’s largest network of independently owned dentists, the growing trend of parents whitening their kids’ teeth is extremely concerning.
“There is so much pressure on everyone because of social media and our image based society to have perfect everything including teeth,” Dr Toni Surace said today.
“When it comes to dental health, the most important thing is teeth and gum health. This must be first and foremost and parents need to understand the impact of whitening on young teeth.
“A child’s adult teeth can often be more yellow than their baby teeth. This is natural and completely normal. As their teeth grow, the enamel on their permanent teeth develop and calcify.
“If a tooth whitening product is used before their adult teeth come in or before their adult teeth are fully formed, they risk breaking down their tooth enamel and damaging their gum tissue.
“Never apply tooth whitening products to your child’s teeth without first consulting with your dentist.”
The AAPD’s (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry) official position is that because of a lack of research, whitening strips are not safe for kids and teens under the age of 15. But that doesn’t mean your child has to live with dull-coloured teeth. Instead good hygiene and the right products can help polish those teeth until they gleam – no bleach necessary.
“Every child should go for their first dental check up before the age of one and then every six months after this,” Dr Surace added.
“If discolouration is an issue, this should be discussed with your dentist and off the shelf products or online products should never be used on a child without discussing this with your dentist.
“Not only can the products damage teeth and gums, they may contain substances that could affect the child’s health.”
We asked our mums what they thought about whitening children’s teeth
Mum shares, “My 8-year old daughter’s teeth have a yellow tinge and it bothers her. She’s got about 6 adult teeth now. We brush teeth twice a day but it doesn’t help. I use whitening toothpaste so I’m thinking of letting her use it as well. What do you think mums?”
The consensus from all was a big fat NO! It can ruin your teeth and they certainly would not recommend doing it. They all recommended the mum chat with her dentist or doctor. Great advice everyone!
Join our Facebook discussion below:
11:06 am
11:53 pm
10:49 pm
8:39 am
7:36 am
6:41 pm
1:12 pm
9:54 am
3:49 pm
10:38 am
8:07 am
9:27 pm
8:12 pm
6:45 am
9:52 pm
-
-
-
-
mom93821 replied
- 10 Mar 2019 , 6:39 am
Reply9:37 pm
7:59 pm
7:52 pm
6:44 pm
3:52 pm
- 1
- 2
- »
Post a commentTo post a review/comment please join us or login so we can allocate your points.