Wedding Did you/are you doing teeth whitening?

[tberube]

I want to do one of those at-home teeth whitening kits for my wedding. It''s three weeks away, so I guess I''d better get on it! Any suggestions on brands? I was thinking of doing the 10 day one (maybe doing it twice in a row for better results?).

Input?

 

[blondebunny]

my FF did the crest white trays I believe they are called, and they worked AMAZING!!!! seriously was like 5-7 shades lighter..and he said they were so easy compared to the strips..they are hard to keep on...

 

[Blair138]

tberube-I am the whitening queen

I used to work in a dentist''s office and got the full rundown on all the product out there, and have used quite a few in my day...lemme help if I may.

First of all, use a strip or tray. The whitener must stay in constant contact with the teeth to work the best. Anything ''painted on'' will not work optimally (it actually didn''t work at all on me and I got my money back). As for those disposable strips-not sure how well those work.

Second-are you a big coffee, tea, red wine drinker? If so, you will need to cut down ASAP or drink them from a straw. To get optimal results, it''s best that none of the comes into contact with your teeth, especially during the few weeks you are whitening.

Third-How sensitive are your teeth? Even if they are not sensitive, whitening will make them sensitive for a small time period. If you whiten back-to-back you may deal with some MAJOR discomfort. It will not harm your teeth, but I get sharp, shooting pain in my front teeth while whitening. IT does go away though. Also, if using strips or trays and the gel comes into contact with your gums, they can turn white and will actually get a ''burn''. It hurts like hell, but goes away. The easiest way to prevent it is to move the strip down so it doesn''t come in contact with your gums.

Fourth-I recommend Crest Whitestrips. Get the highest strength possible that you can get. I think it''s Professional now. Also, get some whitening toothpaste for in between and brush your teeth if directly after if you drink coffee or tea. Also, follow directions exactly and don''t leave them on for longer than the 20 minutes-it doesn''t do anything better.

Fifth-I usually used the strips while showering/getting ready in the morning, and right before bed. Usually I am not talking at this point and the strips don''t move off your teeth.

Lastly-depending on if you even whitened before/how stained your teeth are, the product may not work. I have whitened a few times and drink lots of tea, my teeth aren''t yellow, but could be whiter. I need to get it professionally done now because I don''t think the strips work on my teeth the way they used to.

OK-hope I gave you enough info! Good luck and let us know what you decide!

 

[julesbeth]

Woah! Thanks Blair! I didn''t start this thread but need to whiten my teeth as well! I have like 50 days or something and you are so helpful!!

 

[musey]

Date: 8/11/2008 4:10:01 PM
Author: Blair138
Lastly-depending on if you even whitened before/how stained your teeth are, the product may not work. I have whitened a few times and drink lots of tea, my teeth aren''t yellow, but could be whiter. I need to get it professionally done now because I don''t think the strips work on my teeth the way they used to.

What a bummer! I have been having this problem, too. Also, I never used to get the shooting pain with whitestrips, but now I do.

 

[tberube]

wow, thanks so much Blair, for all the information!! I will take your advice to heart. Thanks again.

 

[Steel]

I used the laser whitening last summer and it worked - a few shades lighter but my goodness the PAIN! Ouch....

I am not a sensitive tooth person but the sharp shooting nerve type pain in all of my front teeth was insane. It lasted about 5 days with the first 2 days being almost unbearable and after a week it was gone. Never again! I wish we had crest strips here I would have never gone to the chair! Shudder!

 

[oobiecoo]

I used the Crest whitening strips once or twice after getting my braces off and they worked really well... I think it was the 7 day pack. After that, I usually buy the off-brand strips that compare to Crest. I think I get them at Target(Target brand) but Walmart may have them also. They''re noticeably cheaper and they worked just the same for me!

This is a weird tip and I don''t think they say it in the instructions... but I always dry off my teeth with a towel or something before putting them on... especially on the bottom teeth. If my teeth are a little wet then the strips don''t adhere very well and slide around which probably keeps the strips from working their magic.

 

[violet02]

Date: 8/11/2008 6:33:26 PM
Author: oobiecoo
I used the Crest whitening strips once or twice after getting my braces off and they worked really well... I think it was the 7 day pack. After that, I usually buy the off-brand strips that compare to Crest. I think I get them at Target(Target brand) but Walmart may have them also. They''re noticeably cheaper and they worked just the same for me!

This is a weird tip and I don''t think they say it in the instructions... but I always dry off my teeth with a towel or something before putting them on... especially on the bottom teeth. If my teeth are a little wet then the strips don''t adhere very well and slide around which probably keeps the strips from working their magic.

I do the same thing! I dry my teeth first as well... it DOES stick better!

Love this thread btw... I''ve been telling the FI to get ready for the whilte strips! He''s like what do I have to do now?!

 

[tenfour]

i used a dentist-supplied whitening kit three years ago and my teeth were incredible after. a mold was shaped to my teeth and i wore the mold (with gel) every night for ten days. i can''t remember the brand though, but it is nothing you can find in a drug store.

as for whitening my teeth for the wedding, yes. i had a root canal on a top, front tooth when i was 13. the dentist said it would eventually discolour. i woke up one morning two months ago and BOOM i had a thick black line down the middle of my tooth. i knew it would eventually discolour, but i didn''t expect it to happen overnight and 17 years after the root canal. so yes, i will be having some work done on my front tooth soon and will probably have whitening to make the rest of my teeth match whatever they do to my front tooth.

 

[Courtneylub]

Date: 8/12/2008 8:23:03 AM
Author: tenfour
i used a dentist-supplied whitening kit three years ago and my teeth were incredible after. a mold was shaped to my teeth and i wore the mold (with gel) every night for ten days. i can''t remember the brand though, but it is nothing you can find in a drug store.

as for whitening my teeth for the wedding, yes. i had a root canal on a top, front tooth when i was 13. the dentist said it would eventually discolour. i woke up one morning two months ago and BOOM i had a thick black line down the middle of my tooth. i knew it would eventually discolour, but i didn''t expect it to happen overnight and 17 years after the root canal. so yes, i will be having some work done on my front tooth soon and will probably have whitening to make the rest of my teeth match whatever they do to my front tooth.

I got the bleach tubes from my dentist, but didn''t get the tray molded to my teeth. That''s what cost a couple hundred bucks. The bleach was only $30. Instead, I bought Crest white strips and put the bleach on the strips and tried to wear them over night. My teeth were blinging white!!

 

[Elmorton]

I did Crest Whitestrips and DH did the knock-off brand white strips, and we whitened for two weeks starting about a month before our wedding and then occasionally every few days after that. DH was fine with it, but my teeth were SUPER sensitive. At my make-up trial, I remember that my lip gloss had a little plumping action so some of that slightly stinging stuff and I was in absolute pain because somehow that made my teeth hurt. That''s when I decided to stop whitening daily. I can handle avoiding hots and colds, but lipgloss was pushing it. I did see a difference for both of us, though - I like the whitestrips better than DH''s knock-off brand - mine were longer and covered more teeth.

 

[anchor31]

I did it for my wedding. I used the Crest 14-days strips, but I have sensitive teeth so I used one a day instead of two, so it took me 28 days. Great results, though, I''m really happy. I''ve even had comments from strangers.