I‘m sure everyone wants a set of shining, white teeth.

C’mon; who wouldn’t? Just look at them.

Appealing, attractive and reflective, these white teeth will snag you all the chicks and net all the Richards.

Which was probably why everyone went bonkers, when a do-it-yourself teeth whitening product that guarantees results within a week was released to the public.

White teeth in 7 days? That’s crazy!

On top of that ludicrous-sounding guarantee, tons of social media influencers were raving about it.

And the effects looked absolutely amazing.

Best part? One of those whitening kits costs around $70. Dental take-home kits, on the other hand, could cost upwards of $700.

You couldn’t believe it: your wildest dream’s actually coming true.

But here’s the question.

Does it really just whiten your teeth?

This query comes after the whitening kit came under fire: it apparently contains 4 percent hydrogen peroxide, way more than the 0.1 percent limit allowed for home use without a prescription.

It’s potentially corrosive

According to a Health Sciences Authority (HSA) spokesperson, teeth whitening products above the 0.1 percent limit can only be distributed to registered dentists and used under their supervision.

Such products should also tagged with relevant warning statements such as “Not for direct sale to the public. For supply only through qualified dental practitioner.”

The reason is because the chemical agent Hydrogen Peroxide, if applied in high concentrations, is potentially corrosive. It could also worsen pre-existing teeth and gum problems such as gingivitis, as well as cause “chemical” burns to the gums.

As a result, a check-up on the cause of your discoloured teeth has to be made, before the whitening can be done.

But… but what about the cold white light?

Manufacturers promised that the cool, cold white light you saw in adverts will speed up the whitening process.

Which technically means that the light is the primary whitening agent, and not the gel (which is probably responsible for all the hydrogen peroxide).

But that’s not the case, according to clinical director at T32 Dental Centre, Dr Bruce Lee. The light doesn’t make any significant difference.

So it seems that not everything you see on the Internet is true.

Have there been any reports of teeth explosions?

So far, HSA has not received any reports of adverse effects relating to the teeth whitening gel, but one user reportedly reported migraines after using it.

Nevertheless, the HSA have decided to play it safe.

As it seems that HSA has been busy getting the products off the shelves.

“HSA is aware that the product is available on various e-commerce platforms and is working with them (the sellers) to remove the sale listings of this product,” a spokesperson said.

Post-market surveillance system

The Authority will also continue monitoring the situation, and will not hesitate to take action against any company or individuals marketing the product directly to the public.

In addition, a “post-market surveillance system” has been incorporated to check on the safety of cosmetic products, and the unsafe ones will subsequently be booted out of the market.

Sellers of the product could face a fine up to S$20,000, a jail term of up to 12 months or both, for supplying an unapproved cosmetic product.

Suppliers of products which do not comply with the labelling requirements may face a fine up to S$50,000, a jail term up to two years, or both.

What can you do?

You really want white teeth, to the point where you’re willing to discard all your clothes and eke out a living in the Amazon forest if you’re required to. You thought you had it all solved when Beautiful’s Cold Light Teeth Whitening Kit came out, but this latest revelation has pretty much destroyed it.

But just wait a moment before you travel to the Amazon forest; there’s still hope. Somewhat.

For one, you can approach a dentist. They might charge really inflated expenses, but at least they know what they’re doing.

Secondly, you can google ‘How to whiten my teeth without being ripped off’. Filter out all the shady methods, locate the approved ones, and get to it. It would probably be a brushing exercise where you have to hit each tooth point for a minimum of 3,600 times, but it’ll be worth it.

Thirdly, just stop smoking or downing coffee like it’s plain water.

Hopefully, you will be able to find those elusive white teeth, folks!

Meanwhile I’ll just be chilling here with my yellow teeth.

No sweat.

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This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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Featured image: Facebook (Beautiful – Cold Light Teeth Whitening)