Is it Safe to Whiten Teeth with Hydrogen Peroxide? (2025)

FAQs

Is it Safe to Whiten Teeth with Hydrogen Peroxide? ›

Like many chemicals, hydrogen peroxide is only safe in small doses. While hydrogen peroxide is generally recognized as safe for whitening, the key lies in using it in appropriate concentrations. Anything stronger than a 3% concentration is dangerous, and many whitening products dilute the solution even further.

Hydrogen peroxide is an inexpensive household product you probably have on hand right now. When used carefully, it can be an effective way to whiten your teeth. But if used incorrectly — in concentrations that are too high or if used too often — it can cause serious and sometimes expensive tooth damage.

Generally at this concentration you would need to have your teeth in contact with the 3% hydrogen peroxide for about 5 hours a day for about 2-3 weeks to have meaningful tooth whitening, which is very difficult to do with a watery liquid.

If correctly used, hydrogen peroxide is safe for most people. However, it can be harmful to your teeth if you use it too often or make the concentration too strong. It is important to know that you should not use food-grade hydrogen peroxide to gargle since it contains more than 35% concentration.

"Prolonged bleaching with these high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, especially when used multiple days in a row, can lead to highly irritated gums and sensitive teeth," Chris Strandburg, DDS, a dentist based in California, told Health.

Brush with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste:

Baking soda has teeth whitening properties; that's why it's prevalent in toothpaste commercials. It helps in rubbing off stains from the tooth surface due to its mildly abrasive nature. Hydrogen peroxide, on the other hand, is a natural bleaching agent.

Choose the right concentration: A low concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide (around 3% to 6%) is safe to use for teeth whitening usually without any side effects. Hydrogen Peroxide can produce certain side effects like gum or tooth sensitivity if used often in high concentration.

Hydrogen peroxide is a mild bleach that can help to whiten stained teeth . For optimal whitening, a person can try brushing with a mix of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide for 1–2 minutes twice a day for a week.

These products work together to clean stains on and between teeth. Dental experts say that since baking soda is gritty and abrasive as toothpaste, it works well to remove surface stains. For deeper cleaning, people safely can mix baking soda with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to create a toothpaste.

It is not recommended that you leave hydrogen peroxide on your teeth overnight as it could cause erosion to your tooth enamel or irritation to your gums. Instead, if you want to whiten your teeth and brighten your smile, we recommend talking with Dr.

What are the side effects of hydrogen peroxide on teeth? ›

When used in high concentrations over an extended period of time, hydrogen peroxide can damage the protective enamel on your teeth and lead to problems such as: Teeth sensitivity. Cavities and tooth loss. Irritation and inflammation in the teeth and gums.

No, hydrogen peroxide doesn't dissolve tartar, but it can help remove the plaque that hardens into tartar.

Yes, you can put hydrogen peroxide straight on your teeth — but only in low concentrations. That's because hydrogen peroxide is very reactive. Using it in high concentrations or for a long period of time may damage your gums and teeth.

Higher exposures may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of breath. ► Exposure to Hydrogen Peroxide can cause headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

Hydrogen peroxide is corrosive to skin, eyes, and mucous membranes at high concentrations (>10%); lower concentrations may cause irritation. Symptoms become more severe as the concentration of hydrogen peroxide increases.

The longer hydrogen peroxide stays in contact with your teeth, gums, or tongue, the more damage it can cause. That is why whitening treatments that contain hydrogen peroxide are only applied for a limited amount of time. Most products recommend a maximum time of 1 – 2 minutes, once or twice a week.

However, combining hydrogen peroxide from your medicine cabinet with toothpaste to make a homemade teeth whitener is not recommended. Peroxide in toothpaste and other dental products bleaches teeth to make them whiter. However, the concentration of peroxide in these products is low and carefully controlled.

“Generally speaking, whitening kits are not harmful to your teeth,” explains Dr. Greg Scheier, DDS of Scheier Dental Group. “There are, however, potential temporary sensitivities, both in the teeth and gums, that may result from the use of both over-the-counter and dentist-administered whitening kits.”