The Vancouver Sun reports that the demand for whiter teeth is causing people to create permanent tooth damage through the overuse of over the counter bleaching kits. An assistant professor at the University of British Columbia reiterates that under the guidance of a dentist, the bleaching process can be used in a healthy and controlled manner. Professor Manso reports that “there have been documented reports of serious and permanent damage to tooth enamel  from over-the-counter home bleaching kits as hydrogen peroxide starts to break down proteins in the teeth after initial discoloration has been removed.”  Further research has found that the structure of the tooth enamel will change with over exposure to bleach. The whitening craze has also pushed “tooth whiteness” off the charts, as dentists have had to adapt and use alternate shade guides to truly gauge the color of a patient’s tooth, which now have brighter entries in the shade guide, which are all specifically “bleached colors.”