these risks unknown to the followers

Advertisements and social networks flood the screens with perfectly white teeth. Yet sporting a Hollywood smile can be expensive and there are many pitfalls. At the dentist, the treatment to whiten your teeth costs around 500 euros. A sizeable budget. So institutes offer bleaching ten times cheaper. However, they last less, because institutes are not allowed to use products as strong as dentists, such as hydrogen peroxide, a chemical.

Beauty salons can use hydrogen peroxide up to less than 0.1%, against 6% for dentists. On social media, there are hundreds of ads touting 30% hydrogen peroxide bleaches. An overdose was injected into a 19-year-old girl, who suffered gum necrosis and lip swelling, as well as a scar that will never go away. “We risk tissue necrosis and loss of teeth”warns Anne Gillet-Maire, dental surgeon worried about the phenomenon, which could become a public health problem according to her. It is best to contact health professionals.