Is it safe for a 13 year old to get teeth whitening treatment?

[marybellz23]

My DD is 13 years old. She is a coffee drinker and that has caused stains on her teeth. I asked her to try some natural methods to whiten them, but she is not interested as she says that it takes time to show the result. She told me some of her friends had done teeth whitening treatment from a clinic in our locality and she too want to do that. I’m just wondering if she is a candidate for that. Is it safe for a 13 year old to get teeth whitening treatment?

 

[Great Lakes Dental]

Hi Marybellz23,

Yes, it's common for teens (even as young as 13) to receive teeth whitening services. At my office, we simply ask that the child's parents approve the treatment before proceeding. The results can be quite positive for our younger patients since stains in their teeth (from coffee, smoking ect) are relatively new and easier to reverse. Your daughter should be made aware that post treatment sensitivity will likely be high since the pulp chambers in a younger person's teeth are larger and closer to the surface then in an adult's teeth. Post treatment sensitivity is temporary and symptoms should pass 48-72 hours after the procedure.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Jennifer Thomm
Cosmetic Dentist
Sarnia, Ontario Canada
519-542-3427

 

[dentalprobz]

I think 13 years can get teeth whitening if she or he needs. I had seen many of them doing while researching about this. Have you taken her to a specialized dentist?

 

[Plaza Dental Group]

I would say that Whitening is a great service for teens with darker than average teeth - really a wonderful result. Don’t use over the counter whitening on children. It is hard to get a study done to show younger ages are safe, but as a rule of thumb, age 14 or more and using dentist supervised materials, there should be no problem. As long as you are using a professional whitening system approved by the ADA (with your dentist's guidance), your teeth will not be harmed. Other systems (those not ADA approved or not under supervision of your dentist) could cause harm...they may be too acidic, etc. We advise patients to avoid dark staining things (tobacco, coffee, red wine, etc) for the first 24-48 hours. Don't bother whitening at home; it will only aggravate your sensitivity. Also one of the keys to good results AND low sensitivity are professionally made trays. You can also use them to apply additional desensitizers.

 

[jameslehman694]

I think teeth whitening is a good idea for teens. The age of 14 is the good for teeth whitening. By this time, the tooth's pulp is fully formed, which means a teen will experience less sensitivity from teeth whitening.

 

[Mike F.]

Just use very sensitive stuff, nothing above 15% concentration

 

[Busybee]

I can't believe that dentists are doing teeth whitening on children. It's absolutely unnecessary. I had it done once a few years ago and I do not think it's good for the enamel to do this on a regular basis and certainly pointless for someone so young. Better to give up coffee and foods that stain.

 

[Janet Two Hawks]

I can't believe that dentists are doing teeth whitening on children. It's absolutely unnecessary. I had it done once a few years ago and I do not think it's good for the enamel to do this on a regular basis and certainly pointless for someone so young. Better to give up coffee and foods that stain.

Self esteem matters to kids. As long as a dentist supervises, it's perfectly safe. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but most people do not.

 

[KVMCruces]

I can't believe that dentists are doing teeth whitening on children. It's absolutely unnecessary. I had it done once a few years ago and I do not think it's good for the enamel to do this on a regular basis and certainly pointless for someone so young. Better to give up coffee and foods that stain.

I agree. My son is 13 and I don't allow him to get his teeth professionally whitened. He uses coconut oil and activated charcoal and VERY occasionally - baking soda.
I've gotten my teeth whitened professionally and I've tried the strips/trays. My teeth are definitely more sensitive now than they were before I did all this.

If I were you, I'd just cut out the coffee (13yr olds don't need it. theres PLENTY of other alternatives. Consider the damage it does to her mouth).. If she doesn't want to give it up then perhaps advise her not to sip on it all day. Or to even drink it using a straw.

 

[Busybee]

Self esteem matters to kids. As long as a dentist supervises, it's perfectly safe. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but most people do not.

I didn't have a bad experience, they looked lovely. I just didn't feel it was good for the enamel and I'd not want to do that to my teeth on a regular basis. It's different if a child has tetracycline staining or something like that but for coffee stains? Why is a child so young even drinking black coffee (it needs to be black to stain so badly)? Change lifestyle habits instead of putting chemicals in a young mouth.

 

[MattKW]

No, I don't bleach kids in their teens for 3 reasons:
1. They've recently lost their whiter baby teeth, and find it hard to accept that adult teeth are darker and yellower. I show them a colour chart guide for comparison.
2. I cynically see this as a result of the need to "look better" syndrome that pervades marketing and society. Teenagers are particularly susceptible to these pressures, and parents should help them through this phase of adjustment. When your teeth are toilet-bowl white, they actually look like false teeth. Some of the better cosmetic treatment I've seen (veneers, crowns, bridges) look like natural teeth that are well cared for, not picket fences that look like dentures. God, it must be so easy to make pure white crowns.
3. Younger kids have more sensitive teeth because of larger pulps, and tend to get more sensitivity.

 

[Lawrenceblemelle]

My DD is 13 years old. She is a coffee drinker and that has caused stains on her teeth. I asked her to try some natural methods to whiten them, but she is not interested as she says that it takes time to show the result. She told me some of her friends had done teeth whitening treatment from a clinic in our locality and she too wants to do that. I’m just wondering if she is a candidate for that. Is it safe for a 13-year-old to get teeth whitening treatment?

"Hi Mary, Actually teeth whitening is safe for everyone including kids. I know that the internet is full of stories about the dangers of teeth whitening and why you shouldn't do it. In reality, it is not true. I'm not saying that people are lying about how they lost their tooth or got burns from teeth whitening. All I'm saying is that you have to be very careful while doing it.
The most important thing is choosing a good dentist. If you can find a good dentist (in your case a pediatric dentist) then your kid will be fine. In my case when my daughter needed teeth whitening we went to a dental clinic in Oakville that provides very good treatment for whitening teeth.
They examined her first and checked whether she is a good candidate for teeth whitening or not. It's a very important procedure in teeth whitening and most of the dentists won't do it properly. Then the dentist explained the coloration of teeth and about the treatment. The treatment went well.
After the treatment, she started to smile more and became more confident. So take your child to a good dental clinic if you want to see her smile more."

 

[MattKW]

"Hi Mary, Actually teeth whitening is safe for everyone including kids. I know that the internet is full of stories about the dangers of teeth whitening and why you shouldn't do it. In reality, it is not true. I'm not saying that people are lying about how they lost their tooth or got burns from teeth whitening. All I'm saying is that you have to be very careful while doing it.
The most important thing is choosing a good dentist. If you can find a good dentist (in your case a pediatric dentist) then your kid will be fine. In my case when my daughter needed teeth whitening we went to a dental clinic in Oakville that provides very good treatment for whitening teeth.
They examined her first and checked whether she is a good candidate for teeth whitening or not. It's a very important procedure in teeth whitening and most of the dentists won't do it properly. Then the dentist explained the coloration of teeth and about the treatment. The treatment went well.
After the treatment, she started to smile more and became more confident. So take your child to a good dental clinic if you want to see her smile more."

A good dentist should also be an ethical dentist.

 

[Busybee]

Unfortunately dentists don't come with labels saying "good", "bad", "sadist", "ethical" etc. If only they did.