How I Healed My Chemical Burn Caused By Teeth Whitening

My oral care routine ATM

I recently started dabbling in teeth whitening again after at least 5 years without. I have suuuuper sensitive teeth, so the last time I tried a white strip and it felt like electrocution within 2 minutes, I was too scared to ever dabble again. I tested a whitening kit my mom gifted me, but during my 2nd use I don't think I rinsed my mouth out of all the harsh chemicals enough. And boy have I learned my lesson the hard way.

After a few days I noticed my gums, under my tongue, and inside of my bottom lip & left side of my cheek in major pain, and the only thing I could think caused it was my teeth whitening. The inside of my cheek was even forming an oral sore or ulcer of some sort. The only positive side effect was a swollen bottom lip...hello, free faux lip injections!

From there, I noticed that both my diet and oral care routine were just making matters worse. So, I took a few steps to try to heal my burn as fast as possible and the results were almost immediate (fully healed in 5 days). Here they are, in case you find yourself in a similar predicament!

She didn’t know what she had coming…

FOOD & DIET

Reduce acidic foods: Unsurprisingly, acidic foods will further irritate your mouth burn, by...literally burning it. I cut out my snack time tangerines & stopped eating my salads with balsamic vinaigrette. I did keep my daily coffee in my routine, but figured enough milk made it okay.

Limit alcoholic beverages: alcohol obviously also burns, so I'd avoid at all costs. I had 2 cocktails while healing and it wasn't the most pleasant experience...straws might help.

Eliminate spice & reduce salt: sorry to the seasoning police, but any sort of spicy foods and increased salt are NOT IT in this instance. I cut out my current TJ's chili lime rolled corn tortilla chips obsession and stopped using pepper on my roasted vegetables. I still salted and seasoned, but tried to use less.

Cut out hard and crunchy snacks: Eating any chips or "sharp" foods that could poke and prod at your oral burn is a solid choice. I switched my chips for popcorn or trail mix. Nothing hurts more than a tortilla chip shard.

ORAL CARE PRODUCTS

Natural Toothpaste: if you're using a traditional toothpaste, the SLS (and surely, other ingredients) can reallllly burn while brushing. I used to be a big fan of Hello Products, but they discontinued my favorite toothpaste and I reverted back to my old ways. I bought the Hello Hemp Seed Oil Fluoride Toothpaste and love it. I'm officially making the switch back, and now I want to try *all* of their flavors and products, especially the mouthwash!

Speaking of mouthwash, I've recently gotten into using TheraBreath a few months ago & I really like it. I was already using the TheraBreath Healthy Gum rinse, but thought it would be worth recommending. They have so many options, I don't know which to try next! I've tried and liked the TheraBreath Fresh Breath rinse (recommended for tonsil stones) as well.

Manual toothbrush: I've used an electric toothbrush for 2 years now, but went back to using a soft bristled manual toothbrush until my mouth healed. I feel like the oscillating bristles just stabbed my poor irritated gums too much, so it's worth a shot.

And last, the most obvious tip, is to take a break from teeth whitening. I was only just getting started with teeth whitening, but was doing it once per week for 2 weeks. I will be waiting at least 2 weeks after healing until I whiten again to make sure my mouth has fully had time to heal. Every time I whiten my teeth hereon out I will be super adamant about getting all of the whitener out so this never happens again.

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