Teeth whitening, any advice?

[hihowareyou]

Thanks for starting this thread. My teeth are quite yellow which I suspect is from drinking a lot of tea as I am pretty particular about my dental hygiene, foods I eat, etc.

For years I've been thinking about trying something to whiten them but not gotten around to it. My teeth look a bit funny because they have a few very white spots on them almost like those white spots you get on nails sometimes after you bang them. The dentist says they are harmless and originated when the teeth were growing but I think whitening the whole tooth would make them look less conspicuous. I also think they make my teeth look yellower

I've always been dubious of the strips but it sounds like they work well. I might give some a try. Thanks!

 

[Circe]

I tried Crest White Strips and they didn''t seem to do anything for me. Perhaps the new sooper-dooper ones are better ....

Zoom, on the other hand, worked great for me: my teeth went 4 shades whiter, and two years later I''d say they''re still two shades whiter than they started out (it was my "I quit smoking!" present to myself, and only $600 bucks or so out in Cali). It was, however, excruciatingly painful - apparently it can sensitize the nerves in your teeth as well as hurting your gums. OUCH.

I haven''t tried my little home kit yet ... hm, methinks I''ll give that a shot now, and see how it works!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

For people with calcium deposits on their teeth. I have a good sized one on one of my top front teeth and it does not make it stand out more when they''re whitened.

 

[pinkstars]

I originally used the regular Crest White Strips, I think the kind that first came out...I used it once 8 or 9 years ago and haven''t had to use anything since. I feel like my teeth aren''t all that white anymore, but I ask my boyfriend every couple of months how my teeth look and he gives me a good response.
I used these during my grape juice phase, which would make me teeth really blue! But it was fine, after I drank something else.

Whenever I go to the dentist, I always get complimented on how white my teeth. This surprises me because of how long it''s been since I actually used the product. I was using Crest Dual-Action Whitening tooth paste, but I''ve been using the Crest Vivid White toothpaste for a couple of years now.

 

[March-8-2008]

Listerine makes a terrific pre-brushing rinse called Vibrant White Pre-Brushing Rinse. (It''s in an opaque white bottle with a gold label.)

It has really made a difference in the color of my teeth; they are several shades whiter. I have avoided other whiteners due to extreme sensitivity, but I can use this with no uncomfortable side effects.

Recently I also started using the Rembrandt Intense Stain Whitening toothpaste and am impressed with that product as well.

Good luck!

 

[Gailey]

I spent a lot of money (can''t remember how much right now) on a home bleaching kit from the dentist, with custom made trays. I used it for two days and it burnt my gums so much I haven''t used it since. I was very disappointed. Maybe I''ll try the Crest product after all these reviews.

 

[Luckyeshe]

Date: 1/20/2010 11:10:43 AM
Author: Amber St. Clare
After I got my teeth cleaned at the dentist I began using baking soda and peroxide to brush.

I make up a paste with the soda, mix it with peroxide and brush, and swish peroxide around in my mouth as a rinse. They are even whiter than they were after the tech. finished cleaning them.

Amber, do you do the baking soda/peroxide mix every day? Or do you do it only for a week and then go back to toothpaste? TIA!!

 

[RockHugger]

I mouthwash with hydrogen peroxide. All the expensive stuff is just hydrogen peroxide anyway. I do a 1/2 mix of water and perox and swish for 1 min, spit then brush again. Then rinse with water (to get rid of the bubble feeling). You notice a difference in 1-2 days for sure. And its perfectly safe. You can ''technically'' drink hydro perox (although I dont recommend it, as it might upset your tummy).

Cheap, easy and alot safer then the newer chemicals comming out.

 

[Luckyeshe]

Thanks, tropicgal!! I''m gonna go and try that!!

 

[cellentani]

Because of this thread, I ran to Target and bought the Crest advanced seal strips and the vivid white night toothpaste! I''m only on day 3, but I have very sensitive gums (exposed roots) and have not really noticed any discomfort. My teeth might be just a tad more sensitive when drinking super-cold liquids, but I never liked to do that anyway. So on a once-a-day schedule, my pain and discomfort level is at 1 or below. I love the toothpaste - it reminds me of the time I got my teeth cleaned with some sort of "sandblasting" technique.

 

[jewelz617]

Crest Whitestrips worked for me, but they made my teeth SUPER sensitive. I could barely eat anything!

 

[VegasAngel]

Before I started drinking coffee on a regular basis I got zoom done. It worked ok but someone told me you need to follow up with an at home kit for the best results which I didn''t do. Definitely didn''t wind up with super white teeth.

Now I just use hydrogen peroxide/ baking soda mixed with a little water, that helps some. Paula Begoun has a new whitening product i''m thinking about trying it.

 

[honey22]

Date: 1/21/2010 11:57:14 AM
Author: Gailey
I spent a lot of money (can''t remember how much right now) on a home bleaching kit from the dentist, with custom made trays. I used it for two days and it burnt my gums so much I haven''t used it since. I was very disappointed. Maybe I''ll try the Crest product after all these reviews.

Gailey, don''t give up on your custom trays!! I have custom trays and I have only burnt my gums once and that was when I used too much product. You only need the smallest amount, like the size of a match head and it needs to be placed into a specific spot in your trays, or you will get gel moving down onto the gums and will burn the you know what out of them.

I am amazed at the tiny size of product needed, I really didn''t believe it at first. Give it another go with the smallest amount per tooth and see if that helps. Good luck!

And I really do sympathise with you, burnt gums is incredibly painful!!!!

 

[stepcutnut]

I had Sapphire Whitening done at my dental office and it worked great!!! They begin by 'painting' on a liquid dental dam onto your gums to protect them. After this dried to an almost rubbery coating they placed on the gel and used a special light on my teeth and put some goopy stuff on my lips to protect them. It did feel a little warm, but not painful! It was about an 1.5-2 hour proceedure start to finish. I have tried many other whitening options and they all made my teeth and gums sooooo sensitive that I never could use them long enough to see any results, the Sapphire whitening gave great results. I had about an hour after ward of sensitivity, but my dentist sent me home with trays and something called MI paste to use in the trays for 10min. Every half hour for the first hour and that did the trick! No more sensitivity!!! Just nice white teeth!

He also had me avoid acidic foods and beverages and staining foods and beverages for 3 days after the treatment!

I was also told that some peoples teeth may not whiten as much as others. And of course how long they stay white without touch ups is influenced by food, beverages, medications, smoking, etc.

 

[Bia]

I just started the Aqua Fresh whitening system - I''ll let you know how it goes in another 5 days.

 

[kama_s]

I''ve been wanting to try a home-whitening product for a while now. I even have two boxes at home that I bought before my wedding, but never had the courage to go through with it. A consistant nightmare of mine includes me waking up to find out all my teeth are falling out - so the thought of putting something strong on them makes me very queasy.

My parents use to brush with sodiuim bicarb (after your regular brush) and that''s what I do every now and then. It definitely works, but probably only makes your teeth go 1-2 shades whiter.

 

[AprilBaby]

Don''t use lemon or hydrogen peroxide. Long term use of peroxide can cause several problems including black hairy tongue or oral cancer. Strips use carbamide peroxide. Use the Crest White strips. Do NOT brush with toothpaste right before as the fl2 will block the bleach. Brush with wet toothbrush and apply strips. Wear then 2x/day for at least 7 days, no skipping. Brush with Sensodyne toothpaste after 30 min to relieve sensitivity. Yellow teeth usually will whiten several shades, gray teeth will not. Zoom is a killer. Everyones teeth hurt after. Try the strips first, then, if you like them, go to the trays.