Q&A: Teeth Whitening on the Sabbath
Teeth Whitening on the Sabbath
Question
I’m aware of the absurdity of the question, but I’ll ask anyway: is it permitted to put on the teeth-whitening material on the Sabbath? Or is there a problem of whitening? Because apparently it doesn’t really whiten, but only breaks down an outer layer
Answer
If it is indeed only cleaning and not coloring, there seems to be no reason to prohibit it.
Discussion on Answer
There is a prohibition of coloring, and that is a different prohibited labor from whitening. Coloring is not involved here. However, regarding whitening, it is worth discussing. Seemingly this is like removing dirt in laundering. But laundering is prohibited only for garments and not for leather utensils (like shoes), so it is reasonable that it would not apply to teeth either.
I have now found a short responsum here:
https://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/86993
The material that dentists give for home use contains hydrogen peroxide, and it oxidizes the pigments in the tooth (it doesn’t clean, but rather changes the color).
And it is also worth discussing out of concern that it may draw blood (because the material is very reactive, and although they use a tray made to fit the teeth, it burns the gums).
Is the prohibited labor of whitening only coloring and not removing dirt? Or is this something unique about teeth whitening and other unusual things, as opposed to whitening wool?