Teens rush to whiten their smiles

By Belle Lin

“Whitening my teeth was so easy and fast, I couldn’t stop!” --Mahyar Sorour

When 17-year-old Mahyar Sorour began whitening her teeth with Crest Whitestrips, it was because her orthodontist recommended it after braces. As time goes by, it has become much more.

“Whitening my teeth was so easy and fast, I couldn’t stop!” said the junior at Moundsview High School. “And the best thing about it is that I can use it whenever I feel like my smile needs some brightening. Even though I [whiten my teeth] a lot, I still like to make them stand out for special occasions. It really is a confidence booster.”

With sales of over-the-counter whitening products like Crest Whitestrips growing exponentially, especially among the young, teens like Sorour are enhancing their chompers with affordable whiteners in record numbers.

“The annual sales of Crest Whitestrips is quite remarkable,” said Dr. Thomas Larson, associate professor in Restorative Sciences at the University of Minnesota’s dental school. “Every age group from teenagers wanting to look good for their senior portrait, to new brides and bridesmaids, to grandpas and grandmas whiten their teeth.”

Artificial becomes the norm

This trend toward teeth whitening has teens and young people in particular growing more accustomed to the whiteness of artificial smiles, and even considering them the norm.

“Teens want to look good,” said David Derong, a senior at Moundsview, “so teeth whitening has become pretty common and I don’t think we consider really white teeth unusual.”

When Derong tried whitening toothpaste last year, he ended up with results that were “decent, but not amazing.” Like teens across the nation, he just wanted a brighter smile. “I think our culture is so obsessed with beauty nowadays that it’s considered bad manners not to have white teeth,” he said.

Emily Storms, a Moundsview junior, feels the same. “I can understand why people would whiten their teeth- whiter teeth look healthier,” she said. “It’s kind of embarrassing to have stained teeth, and everybody wants a perfect smile.”

However, some teens have been disappointed in the effectiveness of OTC whiteners. “My braces left stains on my teeth, so anytime I try to whiten them the stains would still be there, so it seems kind of pointless,” said junior Colin Anderson. “I think that [teeth whitening] is a way for people to try and fix something about themselves that they can control. It’s easier than lip or plastic surgery, and far easier than any actual emotional change.”

Yet others like junior Sophie Kem are hooked on the seemingly magical power of Whitestrips. After using them for only a few weeks, Kem’s peers noticed a remarkable change in her smile.

“People were like ‘Wow, your teeth are really white,‘” she said. “Teeth whitening actually does work, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to do it… After I whitened my teeth, I felt better about smiling. Before I didn’t really feel comfortable smiling that much, but now I do.”

Dr. Larson says that a typical reason people of all ages whiten their teeth is when they “are making a change or have a special event, like a graduation, a wedding, a reunion, retirement, a special vacation.”

However, with more persistent marketing of OTC products to younger, appearance-oriented consumers, teeth whitening could become as basic as brushing your teeth.

“OTC products have become popular and have affected the number of patients going to the dental office for whitening treatment,” said Larson. “Advertising has undoubtedly caused some change in thinking among the populace.”