Can someone use whitening strips for teeth on shabbos?
Answer:
If I understand correctly, whitening strips effectively ‘paint’ one’s teeth, by means of a course of treatment with strips.
If this is the case, it would not be permitted to use them on Shabbos, because this will be comparable to using make up, which is prohibited on account of ‘painting’ (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 303:25, and Mishna Brura 303:79).
However, if the strips only perform an act of cleaning, restoring the natural color of the teeth by cleaning off a layer, no prohibition will be involved. The question of brushing teeth on Shabbos has been addressed by many poskim, and nobody has raised the concern for ‘painting’ the teeth, irrespective of the type of toothpaste used, because the act is essentially an act of cleaning and not of painting.
