Teeth Whitening for Kids and Teens: What You Should Know - Smile Prep (2024)

Teeth whitening has been popular with adults for decades. Now, with social media’s influence reaching the younger generation, many kids and teens are asking if they can whiten their teeth too. Some just want to emulate their idols but if your child or teen is feeling self-conscious or being made fun of because their teeth are stained or discolored, it’s understandable to want to find a solution.

So, is there an appropriate age for kids and teens to whiten their teeth, and if so, what’s the best method? We’re going to discuss how old your child should be before they whiten their teeth, teeth whitening safety, and more.

What Causes Tooth Discoloration in Kids and Teens?

Sometimes, tooth discoloration is fully out of your control. In other cases, there are things you can do to stop it from happening or progressing. For the most part, the same things that cause tooth discoloration in adults also cause discoloration in children and teens. So, if your child needs to make some changes to help their smile, the whole family can get on board.

Diet

Everything we eat and drink has the possibility of showing up on our teeth. Children who love tomato sauce, dark-colored soda, and juice and teens who drink coffee are more likely to develop stains that might be tough to remove with just brushing and flossing.

Fluorosis

Before the age of eight, too much fluoride can cause a child’s growing adult teeth to develop white marks called fluorosis. Causes of too much fluoride include ingesting fluoridated toothpaste or mouthwash before age six, taking too high a dose of fluoride supplements, or taking a fluoride supplement while regularly drinking fluoridated water and fluoride-infused beverages.

High Fever During Infancy

When an infant or toddler has a high fever, it can cause an imbalance in the calcium and protein content of the tooth enamel leaving white streaks on developing teeth. While it isn’t a guarantee that this will develop with every high fever, it is a possibility, especially if they are a frequent occurrence.

Dental Trauma

Getting hit in the mouth either from a fall or playing with friends can cause a tooth’s nerve to die. Usually, when this happens the tooth turns dark gray. And unlike most other sources of discoloration, whitening treatments alone cannot fix this.

Poor Oral Hygiene

Just like adults, kids need to have a good homecare routine to prevent cavities and tooth discoloration. Brushing and flossing not only help prevent cavities but also removes surface stains from your teeth.

Enamel Hypoplasia

Enamel hypoplasia is a defect that happens when the teeth are forming. Causes can be congenital (present at birth), environmental, a hereditary syndrome, or a result of a prenatal issue before the child was born. This Healthline article explains enamel hypoplasia in more detail.

Antibiotics

Years ago, the antibiotics tetracycline, doxycycline, and minocycline were often prescribed to kids. Then they discovered that these antibiotics stained children’s teeth, especially kids under the age of eight. They can even discolor a baby’s forming teeth if the mother takes them while pregnant or nursing. So what causes these antibiotics to leave permanent tooth stains?

The medicine binds to the calcium that’s used for tooth development, so there isn’t enough to strengthen the developing teeth. The result is brown or gray stains that happen beneath the enamel. Fortunately, most doctors know the risks and don’t prescribe tetracycline if you’re pregnant or under the age of eight.

Is Whitening Safe for Kids?

So, is it safe for kids 13 and younger to whiten their teeth? The short answer is no. But why? When adult teeth pop through the gum, the enamel hasn’t fully hardened, or calcified. Newly erupted teeth are still soft and more prone to decay. It can take up to two years after a tooth has erupted for it to be as strong as a full-grown adult’s tooth.

Whitening your child’s teeth before they are calcified can cause enamel erosion and sensitivity. It might also hurt your little one’s gums or damage the tooth’s nerves. Younger children are also less likely to follow the directions and will need a lot of parental supervision.

If your child has a combination of baby and adult teeth, called mixed dentition, it’s best to check with their dentist before you allow them to whiten their teeth. For kids ages 10–13, whitening toothpaste and fluoride rinses might be ok but be careful not to let your child swallow them. Children under six shouldn’t use these products at all or they run the risk of developing fluorosis and making themselves sick.

Keep in mind that toothpaste and mouth rinse will only remove minor surface stains. If your child has deeper stains below the enamel, called intrinsic stains, these methods won’t work. They’ll need to wait until they have all their adult teeth so they can have a whitening treatment that will penetrate the enamel.

Is Whitening Safe for Teens?

By age 14, most teenagers’ teeth are fully calcified and can handle certain whitening products. Studies also suggest that the younger your teeth are, the better they whiten, and some dentists believe the ideal time to whiten your teeth is actually around age 14.

But this all depends on your teen’s development. If your teen developed their teeth later than their peers, then they should wait longer to whiten their teeth. If your teenager wants to whiten their teeth, it’s best to schedule a consultation with their dentist. They’ll be able to examine your teen’s teeth and let you know if they’re fully calcified and ready for whitening.

Best Whitening Options for Teens

So your teen wants to whiten their teeth and their dentist says it’s ok! Now what? Here comes the big decision: which method should you choose? We have some recommendations to help your teen make the most of their whitening experience.

Whitening Strips

Whitening strips are a simple, cheap, and convenient route to a brighter smile. They adhere to your teeth, sticking in place to let their whitening gel work. After you’re done with each one, you simply take it out and throw it away. Of course, they’re not often as powerful as professional whitening or LED kits, but they can still reliably whiten your teeth.

BURST makes some of the most \affordable strips on the market — and they rarely cause any tooth sensitivity. Read our review of BURST whitening strips to learn more, or visit our comparison of the best teeth whitening strips to assess your options.

LED Whitening Kits

These over-the-counter kits include an LED light that you’ll shine on your teeth after applying a whitening gel with a pen or strip. The lights use blue wavelengths to activate peroxide — the most common whitening agent — allowing it to penetrate the teeth faster. Studies about the effectiveness of LEDs for teeth have returned mixed results, but many say that the lights do, in fact, improve results.

Our favorite LED whitening system is GLO Brilliant, which combines light and heat to enhance the whitening process. Check out our GLO Brilliant review, or for more options, visit our guide to the best LED teeth whitening kits.

Whitening Pens

Whitening pens are another great way for teens to whiten their teeth. They are convenient and come in different styles. Some include an LED lamp to make the gel work faster and some just brush on your teeth, making them easy to take with you to whiten on the go. The SNOW At-Home Teeth Whitening Kit is our favorite because the attached LED light helps remove deeper stains and they’ve designed the gel to reduce tooth sensitivity.

Our top-recommended teeth whitening pen kit is SNOW. However, there are plenty of other options available. Visit our comparison of the best whitening pens to learn more.

Professional Whitening

Professional whitening is best for teens with significant stain build-up or intrinsic stains deep inside the enamel. You can either attend an hour-long, in-office session or get professional, customized trays from your teen’s dentist.

During an in-office session, the dentist will apply three rounds of a light-cured whitening gel to your teen’s teeth. This method is fast and powerful but it can be expensive and might not fit into everyone’s budget. As an alternative, the dentist can make custom trays based on molds or scans of your teens teeth. Then, your teen will use them to whiten at home. They’re still more expensive than over-the-counter whitening trays, but they might also more effective.

Teeth Whitening Alternatives

Sometimes a traditional whitening method isn’t effective on your teeth’s stains or they’re sensitive to an ingredient in the whitening gel. Don’t worry! We have some alternatives that can make their teeth whiter. Some of these suggestions can also be used in combination with traditional whitening methods to give your teen an extra whitening boost! Just check with your child’s dentist first to be sure.

Foods for Whitening

These foods are just a few that can whiten your teeth and also help keep them white between professional sessions. These include:

1. Papaya: Papaya has an enzyme that helps break down surface stains and prevents new stains from sticking to the enamel.
2. Strawberries and Apples: Apples and strawberries contain malic acid, an enzyme that breaks down surface stains.
3. Carrots, Celery, and Broccoli: These vegetables’ natural crunch acts like a toothbrush and massages your gums, stimulating healthy blood flow.
4. Pineapple: Bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple, breaks up surface stains, removes plaque, and helps prevent plaque from forming.

Baking Soda

You wouldn’t want your teen to scrub your teeth with baking soda every day, but a mild paste of water and baking soda once or twice a week is all you need to remove mild surface stains. Remember to test with just a little to start to see if there is a reaction.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Whitening with peroxide needs to be done carefully or you’ll cause significant damage to your teeth. A very diluted solution of one teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide and three teaspoons of water can be swished in your mouth for 30 seconds and then spit out. Be sure to rinse with water to remove any lingering peroxide.

Professional Cleaning

If your teen only has some mild surface stains, sometimes an extra professional cleaning can make their teeth bright and sparkly. When plaque builds up on teeth and isn’t removed by brushing and flossing, it hardens and turns to tartar. Once this happens, a toothbrush and floss can’t remove it, but a hygienist’s instruments can! They can remove the toughest tartar and polish your teen’s teeth to help prevent new plaque from sticking.

Methods to Avoid

For every method we recommend, there is plenty to avoid. Here are a couple of DIY teeth whitening methods that don’t work, and a couple of downright dangerous trends!

1. Lemon Juice: The idea of whitening your teeth with lemon juice is that the acid in the lemons will remove the stains on your teeth. The problem is that as the lemon juice removes the stains, it also erodes your enamel.
2. Undiluted Peroxide: An internet trend that’s made the rounds lately is rubbing undiluted hydrogen peroxide on your teeth with a cotton swab. Never under any circ*mstances should you do this! Peroxide is very strong and will cause permanent enamel damage and gum irritation if it isn’t used correctly.
3. Magic Eraser: In 2021 a popular trend hit social media — whitening your teeth with a magic eraser. We can’t stress enough how dangerous this is for your teeth. Magic erasers are made of melamine foam and contain a compound known as formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer. Ingesting even a small amount can cause nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Rubbing the eraser on your teeth can cause permanent enamel loss and chronic tooth pain. You can actually remove layers of the enamel.

Final Thoughts

When your child and teen say they want to whiten their teeth, it’s important to reassure them that everyone’s teeth are different and that your child is perfect exactly as they are. Remind them that many celebrities set an impossible standard that even adults can’t live up to, let alone children.

In fact, when they see their favorite actor or internet star flash an ultra-white smile, it’s often a result of bleach-shade veneers or bonding, not teeth whitening.

But sometimes feeling embarrassed by their smile can cause self-esteem issues and might leave them open to being made fun of. If this is the case, it’s a deeper issue and shouldn’t be brushed off lightly. Before allowing your child or teen to whiten their teeth, schedule a consultation with their dentist to make sure their teeth are healthy enough and ready for teeth whitening.