11 months until wedding, how to whiten teeth?

[Daniel S.]

I have 11 months until my wedding. What is an inexpensive and effective way to whiten up my teeth in this time frame?

Compared to my "D" colored shirt they are looking pretty "K" colored!

 

[Circe]

Zoom tooth whitening. It costs about $600, if I'm remembering correctly, but it lasts, and you get a mold of your teeth that you can use for "touch ups" when the spirit takes you.

 

[monarch64]

I agree with Circe, I would do the Zoom. I did it in 2007 and I still have bleach leftover (I whiten sometimes at work--I keep it in my desk drawer, ha!)

 

[Jennifer W]

My dentist tells me that anything sold over the counter won't actually whiten teeth, as in changing the colour of the enamel. It might remove stains, which may leave teeth looking whiter, but that isn't the same as actually bleaching the enamel. If you just need a bit of a deep clean, that's great. If you want the enamel to change colour to be whiter, you probably need to speak to a dentist about professional whitening. My dentist doesn't provide that service (he works in the NHS in the UK) so I know he wasn't just trying to sell it to me.

Jen

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Some dentists offer free zoom if you switch to them. I will warn you, don't do it if you have sensitive teeth.

 

[Haven]

I agree with Circe, I would do the Zoom. I did it in 2007 and I still have bleach leftover (I whiten sometimes at work--I keep it in my desk drawer, ha!)

I had Zoom whitening done before our wedding and it didn't do a darn thing for me.

They did not send me home with any bleach, though. Was I supposed to get bleach and trays? It was expensive, around $500 or $600, and completely ineffective for me.

 

[starryeyed]

I used the custom whitening trays from my dentist with Rx-strength hydrogen peroxide. It cost around $300 4-5 years ago. It doesn't actually bleach the enamel, it cleans those little microscopic tubes that run through the enamel. Apparently they get clogged and discolored from tea, coffee, and other staining foods.

I think I started out with 15%, which made my teeth EXTREMELY sensitive. It was horrible, but my teeth got whiter in 2 weeks. Now I just use Listerine pre-brush whitening rinse to maintain the white. It's really cheap at BJ's.

 

[bebe]

I did the BriteSmile a few years ago. Don't know if that is considered "professional" or not. But it was a total waste of $500.00

I use the Advanced Strips by Crest (?) for a few days in a row. Works fine for me. My teeth are not discolored or anything, but
again not a brilliant white either. The strips lighten mine up great.

 

[kenny]

This is what my dental hygienist whispered into my ear when the dentist was out of the room.
Go to any food store or pharmacy, buy a 99-cent bottle of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, HP.
Pour half of it out, then fill the bottle with water to get a 1.5% HP solution.

Rinse for one minute every other day.
Spit it out.
Do not swallow.
You will see results in a couple weeks and in a month you may feel you can stop.

This can save you hundreds of dollars and tons of hassle.

 

[vbnet]

T H A N K S for the TIP!

 

[vbnet]

now we have more $$ to spend on rocks!

 

[shihtzulover]

My dentist tells me that anything sold over the counter won't actually whiten teeth, as in changing the colour of the enamel. It might remove stains, which may leave teeth looking whiter, but that isn't the same as actually bleaching the enamel. If you just need a bit of a deep clean, that's great. If you want the enamel to change colour to be whiter, you probably need to speak to a dentist about professional whitening. My dentist doesn't provide that service (he works in the NHS in the UK) so I know he wasn't just trying to sell it to me.

Jen

Hmmm...are you sure? I'm not an expert so I don't know for sure, but the Crest Whitestrips work really well for me, and my teeth were fairly yellow before I started using them. Most other people that I know love them, too. Is it possible that your dentist just wants to make the money?

Like I said, I don't really know for sure - I always assumed that the over-the-counter whitening treatments and the dental whitening treatments were the same, except I figured that the dental treatments were stronger and could yield faster results - I could be very wrong though. I'm not really sure how to tell the difference between stained teeth and an overall yellow enamel color. Maybe people who are born with a more yellow tint to their teeth should have it done professionally, but the people whose teeth turned yellow over time should try the over-the-counter options?

I think that using the strips or whitening trays be worth at least a try though, since they are much less expensive than getting a professional treatment done. If you want really fast or major results though, then I would definitely go to the dentist.

 

[yssie]

Whitestrips didn't work for me, I didn't want to pay for professional whitening and didn't fancy dealing with sensitivity.

I've been using rembrandt 2-hr whitening for about a year now once a month, the difference I see in pictures is quite amazing

 

[dianne]

I used the custom whitening trays from my dentist with Rx-strength hydrogen peroxide. It cost around $300 4-5 years ago. It doesn't actually bleach the enamel, it cleans those little microscopic tubes that run through the enamel. Apparently they get clogged and discolored from tea, coffee, and other staining foods.

I think I started out with 15%, which made my teeth EXTREMELY sensitive. It was horrible, but my teeth got whiter in 2 weeks. Now I just use Listerine pre-brush whitening rinse to maintain the white. It's really cheap at BJ's.

I did the same as starryeyed a few years ago...cost was about the same, too. Made my teeth sensitive, too, and it really burned my gums when I put too much bleach in the trays. Plus, I didn't know I didn't have to use ALL the bleach that came in the box and, let me tell you, people at work I had never even spoken to were asking me if I bleached my teeth. They were light-up-a-room, see-the-glow-coming-around-a-corner white.

 

[missjae]

I know someone who uses Crest White Strips and their teeth are extremely white. I'm sure not everyone would find the same results by it though.

My Dentist told me that the Whitening Strips would work as long as the teeth weren't extremely stained/yellowed and he provides the Zoom Whitening so I know he would have suggested it, had he felt it was necessary.

 

[diva rose]

My husband is a dentist so here are some tips:

- the degree of how white your teeth gets is dependent on your teeth and product you use
- you want to make sure your gums are protected during the whitening process
- you want to avoid food that stains teeth e.g. tea, coffee and smoking

Also the 'white' factor from a bleaching tray kit to Zoom is different. Zoom gives you that super white celebrity smile.
However..keep in mind that sometimes it doesn't work on all people.

The most important thing is - you need to protect your gums and teeth.
So I'd be very weary of mouthwash type bleaching products.

It's best to see a dentist and get Zoom done. Zoom has a high rate of success on most people.
Will give you that flashy white smile.

 

[Jennifer W]

My dentist tells me that anything sold over the counter won't actually whiten teeth, as in changing the colour of the enamel. It might remove stains, which may leave teeth looking whiter, but that isn't the same as actually bleaching the enamel. If you just need a bit of a deep clean, that's great. If you want the enamel to change colour to be whiter, you probably need to speak to a dentist about professional whitening. My dentist doesn't provide that service (he works in the NHS in the UK) so I know he wasn't just trying to sell it to me.

Jen

Hmmm...are you sure? I'm not an expert so I don't know for sure, but the Crest Whitestrips work really well for me, and my teeth were fairly yellow before I started using them. Most other people that I know love them, too. Is it possible that your dentist just wants to make the money?

Like I said, I don't really know for sure - I always assumed that the over-the-counter whitening treatments and the dental whitening treatments were the same, except I figured that the dental treatments were stronger and could yield faster results - I could be very wrong though. I'm not really sure how to tell the difference between stained teeth and an overall yellow enamel color. Maybe people who are born with a more yellow tint to their teeth should have it done professionally, but the people whose teeth turned yellow over time should try the over-the-counter options?

I think that using the strips or whitening trays be worth at least a try though, since they are much less expensive than getting a professional treatment done. If you want really fast or major results though, then I would definitely go to the dentist.

I'm not a dentist, and I only have one dentist's opinion, so I could be wrong. What he told me was that strips and other over the counter whitening products including peroxide will remove stains and gunk in the porous 'tubes' reaching to the enamel's surface and between teeth to some extent, but won't actually change the colour of the enamel - that needs something like Zoom (I live in the UK, it's called something else here). My dentist doesn't offer (or much approve of) whitening treatments, so I'm pretty sure he didn't have a financial interest. Whitening products will make a noticeable difference if the problem is staining, but not if the problem is yellowish enamel to start with. My teeth have always been slightly yellow, and whitening products make a small difference, but to get really white teeth, I'd need to have a professional treatment (and find a dentist that offers it).

Jen

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I tried Crest White Strips and got a bit of an improvement, but it did not last very long.

I know a dentist who is giving me a little wedding present today . I am getting some molds, and I just have to buy the bleach. I am anxious to see if it works.

She told me to do a round of whiting about 4 months before the wedding, and than if needed repeat right before the wedding. She also said if I must drink coffee, soda, and red wine, I should do so with a straw. I started making iced coffee so that was easy. But drinking wine through a straw???? So I just rinse with a whitening mouthwash after drinking red wine.

 

[AprilBaby]

We quit doing Zoom last year because so many people complained about how much their teeth hurt afterwards and they still had to use the custom trays to touch them up. Either use the crest strips, which DO work, or get custom trays which work in about 2 weeks. The key to both is to use them 2x a day CONSISTENTLY for 10 days.