Green Concern

By Cody Scholberg

Almost everything that we buy and consume in America is made in a factory. Even organic products are made in a factory. Teeth-whitenin products are no different. Every product is typically made with a chemical that is refined in some way. Even something like baking soda or hydrogen peroxide is produced or derived. For example, baking soda is derived from a mineral called trona. Trona is a deposit found in Wyoming and Colorado that is left as a result of an evaporated lake. It is mined and processed in order to become baking soda. Some people feel that anything that is mined is technically offensive for the environment.

Popular teeth whiteners are: gels strips rinses tooth gels applicator pens

Is An All Natural Product A Reality?

Raw materials are rarely derived from something that occurs naturally. For example, vinegar it is one exception. It is a fruit that is fermented and then allowed to go sour. It is definitely a renewable resource. If this is a priority for you, you're going to find your morals conflicted. A teeth-Whitening product is typically going to contain several highly refined chemicals from non renewable resources. If you are looking for a green or environmental product, you may find that there is not anything to satisfy your needs. Depending on how strict you are, you'll be able to find that the next best thing.

How These Chemicals Are Produced

Making chemicals means using a laboratory. You take things from different places around your home together to create something new. For example, hydrogen peroxide is used in a lot of natural teeth-whitening products. However, it is not something that you find on the ground and pick up and start using on your teeth. It actually becomes possible to use this product from oil refinement. As a byproduct of the petrochemical industry, you may find that this is not helpful to your set of beliefs about environmentalism. However, you may pick and choose which ones that you want to be involved with simply for the sake of having whiter teeth.

Other Bleaching Agents

Of course, any over the counter teeth-Whitening packaging is going to have a language that you don't understand. Mostly, this will be in the chemicals or ingredients. However, you should not worry about the safety of these products. After all, they have been FDA approved. This means that it took many years for these products to be tested before they were found to be highly effective. However, these chemical agents may have been tested on animals. Always be sure to check and see in animal testing was used. In the end, you may have so much concern about these products that you choose not to use them at all. The choice is yours but always to your research to find the information you need. - 30292

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