Connor Ripley: 'I got really red and burnt gums'

Port Vale goalkeeper Connor Ripley said he was in pain after using a teeth-whitening kit

A footballer who used a teeth-whitening kit bought online said he was left with damaged gums.

Port Vale goalkeeper Connor Ripley struggled to eat or drink after using the strips to bleach his teeth.

The product he bought via an online seller had been imported from America, and contained much higher levels of the chemical hydrogen peroxide than is permitted in home kits in the UK.

Mr Ripley had gone against the instructions and kept the product on overnight.

Kits with a higher hydrogen peroxide content can be legally sold in the USA.

"It was like a little strip where you put it straight over your teeth, we basically slept in them," said Mr Ripley from Preston.

Taking the product off the next morning was "extremely sensitive," he told BBC Morning Live.

He said he could not really eat or drink, and had "really red and burnt gums".

Sensitive teeth

It eventually got so bad, he developed an ulcer on one gum.

Mr Ripley believed his use of the kit had left a long-term impact.

"I do have sensitive teeth now, and they are overly sensitive, so I have to be be a bit more wary of it really."

Home teeth-whitening kits sold in the UK can only contain 0.1% hydrogen peroxide, to avoid the potential of gum damage.

Dental professionals can use products that contain up to a maximum of 6% of the chemical.

The British Dental Association (BDA) says teeth whitening by a dentist, or under the prescription of a dentist, is the only safe and effective way to ensure oral health is protected.