Anyone here knowledgeable on Teeth Whitening?

[glen]

There are so many ways to do this, both professionally, and DIY, with an enormous range of costs. Has anyone research this and figured out the best way to go?

 

[jst0ney]

There are many different ways to go. OTC products, in-office 1 session bleaching, and professionally made trays with bleach. I always tell my patients that the take home trays are the gold standard. With them you can customize your bleaching effects with maximum efficiency. OTC products can work but usually to a minimal level (ust depends on what results and expectations you have). I've done alot of work with bleaching, feel free to ask away and I'll try to answer any question you have.

 

[Reckoner]

I heard those Crest White Strips are pretty good

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Don't use baking soda and rubbing alcohol.

 

[mundane]

My wife used some product before our wedding for awhile - worked great. I'll ask her for the name and edit this post in a bit ...

Edit: She doesn't remember. It was from the dentist though.

 

[spidey07]

jst0ney,

What are the risks to professional/tray teeth whitening in terms of tooth/enamel damage?

 

[Malak]

Xylitol.

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: Malak
Xylitol.

Isn't this only for fighting plaque and tooth decay? (Did a quick google search, all I could find)

 

[Ktulu]

jst0ney, are there any teeth whitening methods that are safe for sensitive teeth?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
Don't use baking soda and rubbing alcohol.

hehe :thumbsup:

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: Malak
Xylitol.

Isn't this only for fighting plaque and tooth decay? (Did a quick google search, all I could find)

Keeping your teeth clean is part of the process. Keep some Trident gum on you at all times and when you eat, pop one in afterwards. Brush your teeth every day. That's all you need to do. Oh, and don't do stupid things like smoke.

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: Malak
Xylitol.

Isn't this only for fighting plaque and tooth decay? (Did a quick google search, all I could find)

Keeping your teeth clean is part of the process. Keep some Trident gum on you at all times and when you eat, pop one in afterwards. Brush your teeth every day. That's all you need to do. Oh, and don't do stupid things like smoke.

Sound advice. :thumbsup:

 

[bleeb]

Go to your trained, and experienced dental professional.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Malak
Xylitol.

ummm.... no.



In office dental bleaching ftw or else get a take home kit from your dentist.
guaranteed results, at a cost of course, but anything OTC is not a guarantee.

 

[dj2004]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
I heard those Crest White Strips are pretty good

I've had good results with them.

 

[Bill Brasky]

I tried the crest strips, but they make so much contact with the gums that my teeth get ridiculous sensitive. So I went to the dentist to have some trays molded, and i love them. My teeth don't get nearly as sensitive since they minimize the amount of gel on the gums, and they don't interfere with my day at all because I wear them while I sleep. Another nice thing about the trays is that they last for many years so you can just get another tube of gel and do a touch up.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Zaitsev
I tried the crest strips, but they make so much contact with the gums that my teeth get ridiculous sensitive. So I went to the dentist to have some trays molded, and i love them. My teeth don't get nearly as sensitive since they minimize the amount of gel on the gums, and they don't interfere with my day at all because I wear them while I sleep. Another nice thing about the trays is that they last for many years so you can just get another tube of gel and do a touch up.

excellent :thumbsup:

 

[Cattlegod]

Originally posted by: Zaitsev
I tried the crest strips, but they make so much contact with the gums that my teeth get ridiculous sensitive. So I went to the dentist to have some trays molded, and i love them. My teeth don't get nearly as sensitive since they minimize the amount of gel on the gums, and they don't interfere with my day at all because I wear them while I sleep. Another nice thing about the trays is that they last for many years so you can just get another tube of gel and do a touch up.

awesome. maybe i will get some trays made. i also tried the crest whitestrips and they made my teeth feel all funny. they worked great, but only for a couple months, then my teeth were back to their normal color.

 

[ColdFusion718]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: Malak
Xylitol.

ummm.... no.



In office dental bleaching ftw or else get a take home kit from your dentist.
guaranteed results, at a cost of course, but anything OTC is not a guarantee.

I highly highly recommend that you do the custom tray and take-home kit. Don't do the bleaching at the dental office!! I did it and I thought my gums were going to fall off. You'll have this strange sensation in your gums (sensitivity) for about a day (a few hours my ass).

On the other hand, the results were nothing short of fabulous. Go with the take-home kit and you can achieve the same results after about 2 weeks of use. The downside is more time, but you won't have to deal with that gum sensitivity crap.

Pick your poision.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by: Cattlegod

Originally posted by: Zaitsev
I tried the crest strips, but they make so much contact with the gums that my teeth get ridiculous sensitive. So I went to the dentist to have some trays molded, and i love them. My teeth don't get nearly as sensitive since they minimize the amount of gel on the gums, and they don't interfere with my day at all because I wear them while I sleep. Another nice thing about the trays is that they last for many years so you can just get another tube of gel and do a touch up.

awesome. maybe i will get some trays made. i also tried the crest whitestrips and they made my teeth feel all funny. they worked great, but only for a couple months, then my teeth were back to their normal color.

I don't want to give the wrong impression. The trays do make my teeth feel funny, but it was a huge improvement over the crest strips which were borderline painful.

 

[sixone]

My hygienist gave me some great advice to deal with the sensitivity, and it worked very well. She advised using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth about a week before starting the bleaching treatment, and during. It really helped a lot - no pain, almost no weird feeling during and after the treatment.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by: sixone
My hygienist gave me some great advice to deal with the sensitivity, and it worked very well. She advised using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth about a week before starting the bleaching treatment, and during. It really helped a lot - no pain, almost no weird feeling during and after the treatment.

Thanks for the tip. I always just assumed that stuff was BS, but I'll definitely give it a shot.

 

[AgentUnknown]

I reccommend having it done by a professional. I am a DDS, feel free to msg me if you have any other questions? Crest strips get mixed results. Remember, you have to have a healthy mouth if you want teeth whitening. Don't go asking for it if you have decay and plaque everywhere.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Go to a dentist and have them make trays for your teeth and buy the peroxide kits from them. They work 100x better than anything you'll get over the counter. At $200 it's a bargain.

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: sixone
My hygienist gave me some great advice to deal with the sensitivity, and it worked very well. She advised using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth about a week before starting the bleaching treatment, and during. It really helped a lot - no pain, almost no weird feeling during and after the treatment.

That doesn't really work well for me. I had custom trays made and did several in-office visits plus home and got some bad sensitivity problems. Even after just using the home stuff once, I can feel a slight tingling and it gets worse the more I use it. That sensadyne toothpaste doesn't seem to help. The whitening did work well though, the paid isn't worth it imo.