Wellness Oral and Dental Care TikTok Trend Uses 3% Hydrogen Peroxide To Whiten Teeth—Why It's Not Recommended Proceed with caution. By Taylyn Washington-Harmon Taylyn Washington-Harmon Instagram Twitter Website Taylyn Washington-Harmon is the associate editor at Health.com. A former social media guru, she's worked for a number of lifestyle and beauty brands and has previously written for SELF and STAT. She loves skincare, anime, and her pitbull Momo. health's editorial guidelines Updated on December 20, 2022 Medically reviewed by Brian T. Luong, DMD Medically reviewed by Brian T. Luong, DMD Brian T. Luong, DMD, is an orthodontist at Anaheim Hills Orthodontics and Santa Ana Orthodontics and Chief Dental Officer at Become Aligners. learn more Share Tweet Pin Email The TikTok hacks are at it again, this time with questionable teeth whitening methods. A TikToker by the name of @clauds244, who likes to share her own brand of wellness advice on the platform, created a video of herself putting 3% hydrogen peroxide on cotton swabs and then running the swabs across her teeth to whiten them. She claimed that since 3% hydrogen peroxide is the same ingredient in store-bought whitening strips, her hack was totally fine. "If you're a dentist, don't tell me this is wrong," she said in the video's voiceover. Is It Safe To Use Hydrogen Peroxide Products To Whiten Your Teeth? As the video hit over 15 million views, other users began to follow suit, trying the hack and then showing the results, with one user adding baking soda. So is it fine to use 3% hydrogen peroxide to whiten your teeth, as she claims? Actually, no. Normally used as an antiseptic and bleaching agent, 3% hydrogen peroxide is over the legal percentage of 0.1% allowed to be used by non-dental professionals in the UK (where @clauds244 is based). In the United States, whitening strips can contain up to 15% hydrogen peroxide, and teeth whitening products in general can contain anywhere between 3% to 20% hydrogen peroxide. But because they are considered cosmetic treatments, over-the-counter teeth whitening products aren't regulated by the FDA. The Best Whitening Toothpaste, According to Experts For this reason, they shouldn't be used as often as @clauds244 advocates, who applies the 3% hydrogen peroxide multiple days in a row. Dentists warn that frequent usage can cause some serious and long-lasting damage. "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," dentist and Waterpik spokesperson Chris Strandburg, DDS, told Health. "Gum irritation can get severe if more bleaching is done when the gums are already irritated. Tooth sensitivity is usually temporary (24 hours or so), but significant bleaching can increase tooth sensitivity permanently with long-term use." The 10 Best Teeth Whitening Pens for Your Brightest Smile Ever This doesn't mean you can't use hydrogen peroxide on your teeth at all. Just proceed with caution. While 3% hydrogen peroxide is available at most drugstores, be sure to dilute it with equal parts water to prevent burns and damage. Or play it safe by using a toothpaste or teeth whitening product that contains phthalimidoperoxycaproic acid (PAP), which is much gentler on the gums and enamel and is super-effective at whitening in only 24 hours. As always, do your research before following any health or beauty hack you see on the internet, especially if they haven't been verified by reputable professionals. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Oral Health Foundation. Tooth whitening and the law. Bizhang M, Domin J, Danesh G, Zimmer S. Effectiveness of a new non-hydrogen peroxide bleaching agent after single use - a double-blind placebo-controlled short-term study. J Appl Oral Sci. 2017;25(5):575-584. doi:10.1590/1678-7757-2016-0463