Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
teeth whitening	Ccl471	12/24/04
According to your professional opinion, does teeth whitening make the enamel wear thinner? I unwittingly caused damage to my enamel because of brushing too hard, and no one told me the reason for my enamel wearing thin until I was 32!! I would like to whiten my teeth but don't know if it will cause further damage to the enamel.
Answered By		Answered On
agentledentist		12/24/04
Enamel wear can be caused by other reasons than just toothbrush abrasion e.g. chewing of hard food or other parafunctional habits. If the wear is at the neck of the teeth (near the gum line), the most common cause is toothbrush abrasion or nighttime clenching and grinding (erosion). The latter is done while you are asleep and there is no way you can stop it yourself. The only remedy at present is to wear a make to measure appliance e.g. an MCI (Myohealth Clenching Inhibitor) to minimize the detrimental effect of clenching and/of grinding. As for whitening, as long as you had it done under professional guidance, it does not wear out the enamel. However, whitening can cause sensitivity and if there is cervical sensitivity due to toothbrush abrasion or erosion, the sensitivity has to be treated first.

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