Blancorexia: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms And How To Combat It
Everyone would like to have a beautiful smile, with well-aligned, healthy-looking and white, very white teeth. In our culture we associate the whiteness of our teeth with beauty and health, which is why most would like to have their teeth a lighter shade.
However, this desire can degenerate into an obsession with having white teeth so extreme that people who suffer from it are capable of applying dangerous and expensive treatments in order to meet their expectations of a beautiful smile.
This phenomenon is called whiterexia, an obsession that has been on the rise in recent years as the media has promoted the ideal that the whiter our smile, the better. Let’s find out in more detail what it consists of.
Practically everyone dreams of having a beautiful smile, with well-aligned, whole, cavity-free and bright white teeth. It is part of the Western beauty canon the idea that an attractive person is one who, among other features, has white teeth., something that we can see promoted in the media if we look at how the most attractive celebrities look. No mistake: they all have perfect white teeth.
Although it may surprise many, Healthy teeth are not absolutely white, but ivory in color. It is possible to make our teeth have a lighter and more aesthetically attractive tone through good oral hygiene habits in addition to resorting to professional treatments such as teeth whitening. By going to a qualified dentist it is possible to make our teeth whiter in a healthy and balanced way, although they will never be absolutely white.
Unfortunately, there are many people who have internalized the idea that you can have absolutely white teeth, just as they see their reference celebrities look like. This trend of wanting whiter teeth has become dangerous, so much so that not only has the number of requests to receive professional teeth whitening treatment increased, but also the resort to miraculous and pseudo-professional products that use methods that are dangerous to health. . This obsession with white teeth has been called whiterexia.
People who suffer from whiterexia They have a distorted perception of the color of their teeth. There is a real problem of body dysmorphia that, together with very unrealistic expectations about the color that the teeth should have, means that the person is not convinced by the results of conventional treatments and resorts to those that assure them that they will be able to. have that pure white hue on your teeth.
Causes of this obsession
Blancorexia is an obsession that draws heavily on the beauty canon promoted by the media, both male and female..
In most of the Western world, people with white teeth are perceived not only as healthy individuals, but also as attractive and more trustworthy. As a counter-effect, people with yellowish teeth are perceived as unpleasant, less attractive, sick and not trustworthy.
It’s hard not to see attractive people on TV or social media whose teeth are blindingly white. Most celebrities are seen with a white smile, done in a cosmetic dentist’s office or using photographic retouching to make it look brighter than it really is. Since many people want to look as attractive as celebrities, Their desire to imitate them is also shown in an interest in showing off exaggeratedly white teeth..
The desire to have white teeth has been taken advantage of by unscrupulous brands that promote and market miraculous teeth whitening products. Added to this is the lack of information about the dangers of applying non-medically tested products for teeth whitening and without professional supervision.
What risks does whiterexia bring?
Most teeth whiteners, both legally marketed in pharmacies and more unorthodox sales such as the Internet, contain substances such as hydrogen peroxide (hydrogen peroxide) and carbamide peroxide (hydrogen peroxide and urea) that are normally applied using splints. Although many products containing these substances are medically tested, their abusive use without professional supervision can result in unwanted effects..
Blancorexia brings the following medical problems:
What makes our teeth white?
As we mentioned, absolute white is not natural for our teeth nor is it possible to achieve it without risking our oral health. The vital moment in which our teeth have the greatest degree of whiteness is during childhood., when we have baby teeth. These children’s teeth contain a smaller amount of dentin, a naturally yellow substance. And it should be said that even when we are small our teeth are not completely white.
Our teeth are not white but ivory colored. The tone of our teeth has an unavoidable genetic component, which determines how yellowish or whitish they are. The environmental factor should not be ignored, since the color of our teeth is also influenced by what we eat and our hygiene and dental care habits: medicines, foods that stain our teeth, smoking, drinking coffee or tea, brushing our teeth. 3 times a day, use mouthwash…
It is possible to make our teeth whiter through a teeth whitening treatment under expert supervision. Through this type of intervention we can ensure that our teeth acquire a lighter and cleaner shade, in line with our skin tone and other aesthetic factors that people who suffer from whiteness often overlook. In fact, having excessively white teeth can become an unattractive trait, seen as artificial by others.
In teeth whitening, the specialist has to increase the porosity of the teeth so that certain substances can penetrate inside. It also has to protect the gums, since some of the products used, such as carbamide and hydrogen peroxide, can be toxic at certain doses and damage them. It is normal to apply a teeth whitening treatment every five or six years.
In dental clinics, other techniques are used, such as lasers or cold light whitening, in order to activate the substances that are applied to the teeth. In some cases, instead of applying teeth whitening products, what is most recommended is to opt for the use of aesthetic veneers.
Related article: “Vigorexia: causes, symptoms and treatment”
Tips to avoid white fever
Dentists have a series of tips and recommendations to avoid developing an obsession with having white teeth. Although everyone wants their smile to look as white as possible, becoming obsessed with applying treatments that prioritize aesthetics over health is always a great risk for the integrity of the teeth.
You must be realistic and understand that The extremely white teeth that we see in the media, in the smiles of actors, models and influencers, are not real. Most likely, they have undergone very expensive teeth whitening surgeries or the way their smile looks has been retouched using photo retouching programs.
It is advisable to follow and respect the time periods between treatments. Although we can find teeth whiteners in pharmacies and applied by qualified dentists, we must be aware that medically tested products are not harmless to health. The repeated application of whitening products in short periods of time can damage the teeth due to the aggressive nature of the substances they are composed of.
In general, homemade solutions are not a good option. These can be dangerous and counterproductive. The most famous home whitening solution is baking soda, but it must be said that it is an abrasive product and can damage the enamel and gums. It is not worth applying something that, instead of whitening our teeth, could cause us to lose it. And very important: you should be wary of miracle products, those that promise the impossible and the only thing that is certain about them is that they are not safe at all.
It is most recommended that If you want to enjoy a whiter smile, the essential thing is to go to a dentist specialized in oral aesthetics. The teeth whitening treatments offered by dentists are effective and safe as long as they are applied according to directions. The dentist, first of all, will make sure that we do not have any dental health problems such as cavities, periodontitis or gingivitis, ensuring that medical conditions are treated first and then cosmetic treatments are applied.
