Have you ever bleached your teeth?

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: BigPoppa

Originally posted by: rh71
a fluoride application (just keep a mouthguard in my mouth for a minute) comes with my 6-month cleanings... I think it helps a bit.

Fluoride replaces the OH- molecules in your teeth's enamel. The OH- molecules like to react with the free H+ molecules from all of the acids (wines, colas, coffe) we injest. This is why regular fluoride treatments are very good things.

EDIT:

Also, wouldn't boiling a mouthguard and forming it to your teeth work rather well as a tray? I remember doing it with all of my football mouthguards. Boil water, dip mouthguard in, put mouthguard in mouth, make a lot of suction.

I used to do that for hockey too but eventually had a mold professionally done. The professional ones are much thinner and more comfortable so I would assume this is the case for these as well.

 

[Rogue]

Originally posted by: Dacalo

Originally posted by: Rogue

My other main decision is that I'm reaching a point in my career where nice, white teeth may mean the difference. My next job could very well be a senior management position, so it's worth it to me. Yeah, it feels superficial and "cosmetic" to be doing, but it makes me feel better and doesn't seem to have any negative effects.

Yeah I felt a bit goofy at first doing this, but now that my teeth are white and in my control I find myself more looking at other people's teeth and I notice most people have AWFUL teeth. Yellow as hell, like they've never cleaned them. Mine would probably be this way if not for bleach. It's a small price to pay for a huge increase in appearance.

It just made me mad that I brush my teeth at least twice daily and floss every night and my wife gets by with half that most of the time and I still get cavities. When I was a kid, we lived in a place without flouridated water and the dentist said that's part of my problem. I rinse with flouride almost every day also, but my teeth are pretty weak I guess.

Maybe it's your diet?

Nah, it's not my diet. I make sure that since I have a kid we have a fairly good diet and eat lots of veggies and good, lean meats. I could probably benefit from taking a multi-vitamin though just in case there's any vitamins I don't get enough of my in normal diet.

 

[myusername]

If you don't want to jump right in to the expensive treatment and want to see results just get a pack of crest whitestrips. They do work, and there's no danger of "overwhitening" (unless you keep buying packs, I guess). The downsides, of course:
-you have to do it twice a day for two weeks instead of one shot at the dentist
-if you get the peroxide on your skin or clothes, it will bleach them too.
-it only does the front 8 or so teeth.
Having done the whitestrips once, I was not unsatisfied, but would probably choose a mouthguard solution next time around.

Also, my teeth did not get overly sensitive, but I found that my ears did - noises like paper rubbing against paper hurt like nails on a chalkboard. It took me a little while to figure out what the cause was :Q

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: rh71
a fluoride application (just keep a mouthguard in my mouth for a minute) comes with my 6-month cleanings... I think it helps a bit.

that fluoride is strenghtening your teeth, not whitening them.