Many of us use teeth whitening strips, and many of us don’t. But for the folks who do, have you ever once thought about how it actually works? Wired explains this to us, and we have to say, it is quite enlightening. Basically, teeth whitening strips use something called hydrogen peroxide, which is the same thing you bleach your floors with along with…well, anything else that needs bleaching. Scared? Don’t be old chap, because it’s OK.

The good thing about the hydrogen peroxide used in teeth whitening strips is that it adds a much lower level of concentration, so it won’t damage your gums or have you looking like a mummy….without teeth. Now, the hydrogen peroxide here breaks apart into molecules with reactive unpaired electrons. This is called Radicals, for those who are interested in learning.

Radicals practically attacks stain molecules and breaks them apart. So if you’re teeth is filled with coffee stains, whitening strips could help.

If you weren’t aware, hydrogen peroxide is acid. Well of course it is, because it is able to burn things away. Now, because it is acid, and it is bad to put acid in our mouth, hydrogen peroxide is mixed with sodium hydroxide, which makes it less acidic and easier to keep in your mouth. There’s more to how teeth whitening strips work, so to know more, take a peek at the video below. After that, do tell us if you have used these products before and why.