But cheap tooth-whitening methods and DIY remedies can do permanent damage, a dentist warns.
Some are so harsh they strip away the enamel, leaving healthy young people with dull brown teeth usually only seen in the elderly.
Ken Harris, a leading cosmetic dentist, said: ‘You only get so much enamel in your life and once it has gone, you are in serious trouble.’
Tooth-whitening has become increasingly popular as Britons seek the Hollywood smile sported by celebrities.
He said they are so desperate for white teeth they ignore warnings on cleaning products saying they are not to be taken internally.
Rinsing with Domestos and Toilet Duck causes chemical burns, while Vim scratches tooth enamel. Dr Harris said: ‘People want white teeth and will move hell and high water in an attempt to get them.’
Others are putting their faith in cut-price treatments offered by beauticians and hairdressers or in kits bought at their local chemist.Dr Harris, who studied tooth-whitening for a master’s degree, warned that the budget bleaching sessions are at best useless and at worst dangerous. His research shows that only hydrogen peroxide and derivatives of it, such as carbamide peroxide, whiten teeth.
However, some beauticians use chlorine dioxide, which is better known as swimming pool bleach.
It eats away at the enamel, exposing the dentine below, which looks brown. Dr Harris, of Riveredge Cosmetic Dentistry in Sunderland, also warns against buying kits online. Some contain five times as much carbamide peroxide as needed.
They will whiten teeth but also leave them extremely sensitive. Dr Harris said kits sold in chemists are not harmful but simply do not work as the law bans them from containing hydrogen peroxide.
Some people are under the impression that the citric acid in strawberries and lemon juice whitens teeth. Strawberries do not whiten teeth, while too much lemon juice just damages enamel.
Martin Fallowfield, of the British Dental Association, called the use of swimming pool bleach as a whitener ‘very scary’.
He said it is illegal for anyone other than a dentist to whiten teeth – but some beauticians try to get around this by helping customers with the treatment rather than fully carrying it out.
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