Teeth Whitening with Essential Oils

Howdy friends! Back for another Lumineux® Blog entry and happy about it. Today we’re going to review one of the most frequently talked about attributes of Lumineux® products; the unique way in which we whiten teeth.

Before we get into it, I want to talk about the history of Lumineux®, as I believe it is extremely relevant to this particular subject. Lumineux® was created by an award-winning dentist named Kourosh Maddahi, DDS. Dr. Maddahi has been on nation and local news stations, TV shows like Extreme Makeover and Oprah, and specializes in difficult full-mouth restorations and cosmetic dentistry. Cosmetic dentistry deals mainly in porcelain veneers, crowns and whitening. Many of the cases he has worked on over his 36-year career have been very concerned and interested improving the look of their smile and in having WHITE teeth. Because of this, Dr. Maddahi has become an expert in all the effective ways to lift stains and create a beautiful, white smile. This also means, unfortunately, that he has become an expert in tooth sensitivity. You see, the two go hand-in-hand because most oral care products on the market whiten harsh ingredients that can lead to tooth sensitivity¹ and gum irritation². This made him wonder if there was a way to whiten without one of these commonly used whitening ingredients, which eventually led to the creation of Lumineux’s Whitening products. Lumineux® whitens totally differently than the majority of whitening products on the market. We don’t use harsh bleaches, charcoal, baking soda or hydrogen peroxide, which can all lead to sensitivity or possibly damage to the enamel. Instead, we whiten with essential oils like coconut oil, lemon peel oil and sage oil combined with Dead Sea salt. This incredible combination is what allows our whitening products to remove stains without the sensitivity associated with most whitening methods^3,4,5.

Let’s review how traditional whitening products lift stains. Hydrogen peroxide is the most commonly used whitening ingredient in the US, but it is actually banned in Europe at effective quantities⁶. There’s a reason for this! While it’s incredibly good at removing stains from the surface of teeth, it does so through oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical process that opens up the tubules of your enamel and can lead to short-term teeth sensitivity over time⁷. Your enamel is porous, sort of like a sponge, and when those tiny holes get bigger things like hot or cold liquid can get through them easier to the nerve below. Ouch!

Baking soda is another whitening ingredient used by some companies. Baking soda can be abrasive, and it can also disrupt the pH balance of the mouth which can harm enamel⁸.

Charcoal sticks to rough surfaces of the tooth and when scrubbed off can take the stain with it. However, the purity of charcoal is almost impossible to ascertain and while it may take stains with it9, it can also take some enamel as well or get into areas that are not easy to clean off like the gum line and cause black staining. Not what most people are going for when whitening!

Now let’s talk about our ingredients, why they were chosen by Dr. Maddahi, and how they work. When seeking out ingredients for his whitening products, Dr Maddahi looked for non-toxic and Microbiome Safe® ingredients to lift stains without the sensitivity he so often sees in his office associated with peroxide containing whitening products. Dead Sea salt, our signature and most revered ingredient has its own powerful whitening ability. The minerals in Dead Sea salt help to loosen up stains found on the tooth’s surface and scrub them away. Essential oils like coconut oil, lemon peel oil and sage oil, when combined with Dead Sea salt, can help get under the stains and dissolve them. The way I like to explain it is with the visual so often used by dish soaps containing palm olive. Oils can break up stains incredibly well, making it easy to wash them away without doing damage to the enamel underneath. This is what allows Lumineux® Whitening products like our Whitening Strips, Bright2 Pen and Toothpaste and Mouthwash to remove years of staining without the sensitivity associated with peroxide containing products.3,4,5 These purposeful and uncompromising™ ingredients have the added benefit of being great for your oral tissues and tooth structure10, which means you can achieve a brighter smile that looks healthy and vibrant for years to come.

Above and beyond oral care, moral care.®

Teeth Whitening with Essential Oils

Related posts