No doubt that having whiter teeth can give many people confidence can conveys a lot about the person, but with the various harmful ingredients is many teeth whitening products today, perhaps finding the right teeth whitening product is more important that having whiter teeth.

Understanding the fact that teeth whitening products can be taken orally, and that they can directly cause damage and harm to the dental health only means consumers must be putting more criteria when choosing their product. Try to consider these facts first:

1.4 - Billions of dollars spent in the United States last year on over-the-counter tooth-whitening products.

14 in 20 - Number of tested DIY kits found to contain above-allowable levels of hydrogen peroxide, a mouth-damaging chemical commonly found in hair dyes, according to a recent study from the British Trading Standards Institute.

0.1 - Maximum percentage of hydrogen peroxide allowed in tooth-whitening kits in the European Union. Health Canada considers 3-per-cent hydrogen peroxide a safe level.

80 - Percentage of the 139 U.S. streams found in a 2002 study to be contaminated with man-made chemicals and hormones. Among them was the common tooth-whitening ingredient Triclosan, which causes thyroid disruption in frogs (human thyroid-signalling systems are nearly identical).

Before choosing and using any teeth whitening product, making sure how and what it can cause to your dental health should be well thought of. With so many dangers and complication that can be taken for using the wrong product, perhaps teeth whitening should be left to a more natural and simple approach.