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Century Dental
Phone: (971) 708-1608
2831 SE Cornelius Pass Rd.
Hillsboro OR 97123

Jeff R. Call, DMD, FAGD, FICOI
Dix C. Densley, DDS, FAGD, FICOI



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Do Teeth Whitening Gums Really Work?
Hillsboro, OR

Posted on 6/15/2016 by Dr. Call
Before and after image of a woman's teeth after professional teeth whitening treatment from Century Dental.You're standing in line waiting to check out at the grocery store, and you notice a pack of gum that claims to whiten your teeth. You've been thinking that your teeth look a little yellow and decide to grab a pack. Now that you're home, you start to wonder - can whitening gum really work? How is that even logical? And lastly, can gum provide results comparable to a professional teeth whitening treatment?

What Whitening Gum Does

Unfortunately, whitening gums aren't going to work the way that you want them to. Chewing them won't make your teeth whiter, but they can reduce the development of certain types of dark stains - the type that your dental hygienist will usually scratch off with a hand instrument at your cleaning appointment.

These gums do this by using an abrasive to make the stains easier to come off when chewing them.

Common Ingredients in Whitening Gums

Teeth whitening gums often include one of these ingredients in order to help with stain reduction:

•  Sodium ascorbate and malic acid. Both of these ingredients are mildly acidic within the mouth and can make it easier to rub off stains due to the erosive properties of the ingredients.
•  Sodium bicarbonate. Also known as baking soda, this mild abrasive will help to remove stains from the teeth.
•  Tetrasodium pyrophosphate. This ingredient is an anti-plaque and anti-tartar agent, and it can make it easier to remove stains.
•  Titanium dioxide. This ingredient is an abrasive, and it can help with some whitening by increasing the abrasiveness of the gum. This will ultimately help to remove stains.

While whitening gums aren't going to harm your teeth, they likely aren't going to achieve the results that you really want if you are interested in whitening. To get a whiter and brighter smile, contact our office today to find out what options are available to you, including in-office whitening.
Century Dental, 2831 SE Cornelius Pass Rd, Hillsboro, OR, 97123-6753 - Associated Words: dentist Hillsboro OR | Dr. Dix Densley Hillsboro OR | Dr. Jeff Call Hillsboro OR | (971) 708-1608 | | 7/3/2020