Have you ever bleached your teeth?

[aidanjm]

Did it work? What did you use? How white are your teeth?

 

[StageLeft]

Yes, it works well. I paid about $200 for mouth molds and some "professional strength" bleach. Firstly, forget the crap from drug stores. It's all a waste of money. You need to get the ultra violet treatment or the mouth molds, which mold perfectly around your teeth. It was money well spent. $200 to turn a coffee/cola tainted smile into a white one is well worth it. I did it 18 months ago and touch up every once in a while. I've not gone "all the way", which is pure whiteness, because really I've not been bothered, but i know i could. My teeth are whiter than anybody my age who has not bleached. A couple of friends who have used these bleaching approaches have perfectly white movie-star teeth.

FWIW When I got the kit it had 10% concentration stuff in it, but the touch up tubes can be 10,16, or 22. I go with 16 because 22 really gets my teeth sensitive.

 

[Megatomic]

My family used Crest Extra Whitening and it's slowly doing the job. It's most obvious in our kids where they don't have 30+ years of soda stain on their teeth.

 

[Rudee]

I've accomplished teeth whitening at home for a fraction of the cost as the professional kits. Here's what you do. Step 1. pre-rince with a mixture of mouthwash and a tiny amount of peroxide. Step 2. Put tooth paste on brush and sprinkle a dash of baking soda on the toothpaste. Step 3. Brush for 1-2 minutes with electric toothbrush. After a few weeks you should definitely notice much whiter teeth. I did.

 

[TitanDiddly]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yes, it works well. I paid about $200 for mouth molds and some "professional strength" bleach. Firstly, forget the crap from drug stores. It's all a waste of money. You need to get the ultra violet treatment or the mouth molds, which mold perfectly around your teeth. It was money well spent. $200 to turn a coffee/cola tainted smile into a white one is well worth it. I did it 18 months ago and touch up every once in a while. I've not gone "all the way", which is pure whiteness, because really I've not been bothered, but i know i could. My teeth are whiter than anybody my age who has not bleached. A couple of friends who have used these bleaching approaches have perfectly white movie-star teeth.

FWIW When I got the kit it had 10% concentration stuff in it, but the touch up tubes can be 10,16, or 22. I go with 16 because 22 really gets my teeth sensitive.

My brother used the crest whitestrips stuff and there was a very noticable difference. So much so, that my other brother went out and bought it too- and now his teeth are very white. I've clipped some coupons and I think I'm going to buy some.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yes, it works well. I paid about $200 for mouth molds and some "professional strength" bleach. Firstly, forget the crap from drug stores. It's all a waste of money. You need to get the ultra violet treatment or the mouth molds, which mold perfectly around your teeth. It was money well spent. $200 to turn a coffee/cola tainted smile into a white one is well worth it. I did it 18 months ago and touch up every once in a while. I've not gone "all the way", which is pure whiteness, because really I've not been bothered, but i know i could. My teeth are whiter than anybody my age who has not bleached. A couple of friends who have used these bleaching approaches have perfectly white movie-star teeth.

FWIW When I got the kit it had 10% concentration stuff in it, but the touch up tubes can be 10,16, or 22. I go with 16 because 22 really gets my teeth sensitive.

So with the mouth molds, is that DIY at home, or do you go to a dentist?

 

[Tylanner]

Originally posted by: Rudee
I've accomplished teeth whitening at home for a fraction of the cost as the professional kits. Here's what you do. Step 1. pre-rince with a mixture of mouthwash and a tiny amount of peroxide. Step 2. Put tooth paste on brush and sprinkle a dash of baking soda on the toothpaste. Step 3. Brush for 1-2 minutes with electric toothbrush. After a few weeks you should definitely notice much whiter teeth. I did.

Joke?

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yes, it works well. I paid about $200 for mouth molds and some "professional strength" bleach. Firstly, forget the crap from drug stores. It's all a waste of money. You need to get the ultra violet treatment or the mouth molds, which mold perfectly around your teeth. It was money well spent. $200 to turn a coffee/cola tainted smile into a white one is well worth it. I did it 18 months ago and touch up every once in a while. I've not gone "all the way", which is pure whiteness, because really I've not been bothered, but i know i could. My teeth are whiter than anybody my age who has not bleached. A couple of friends who have used these bleaching approaches have perfectly white movie-star teeth.

FWIW When I got the kit it had 10% concentration stuff in it, but the touch up tubes can be 10,16, or 22. I go with 16 because 22 really gets my teeth sensitive.

/end thread

Skoorb speaks the gospel truth. what he did is the only way to go.
and nothing you can buy OTC is going to do anything that will last any significant amount of time if at all.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Rudee
I've accomplished teeth whitening at home for a fraction of the cost as the professional kits. Here's what you do. Step 1. pre-rince with a mixture of mouthwash and a tiny amount of peroxide. Step 2. Put tooth paste on brush and sprinkle a dash of baking soda on the toothpaste. Step 3. Brush for 1-2 minutes with electric toothbrush. After a few weeks you should definitely notice much whiter teeth. I did.

baking soda is too abraisive. i don't recommend using it like that. whiter teeth plus loss of enamel.

 

[Rogue]

I'm doing the professional bleaching kit right now. My teeth up front have always had calcium deposits in them that are bright white while the rest of the tooth is more of a natural ivory color. I decided to try to get an even tone to my teeth with a kit from my dentist. I'm on day 5 of the process (two weeks total) and notice a pretty big difference already. I think I'm using a 16% solution and it's making a difference. It cost about $200, but that was more or less covered by my insurance since I overpaid for a crown by about $196 after the insurance covered more than I expected them to. Teeth are a bit sensitive right now, but that will go away a few days after I'm done with this.

My other main decision is that I'm reaching a point in my career where nice, white teeth may make a difference in jobs. 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.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Yes, it works well. I paid about $200 for mouth molds and some "professional strength" bleach. Firstly, forget the crap from drug stores. It's all a waste of money. You need to get the ultra violet treatment or the mouth molds, which mold perfectly around your teeth. It was money well spent. $200 to turn a coffee/cola tainted smile into a white one is well worth it. I did it 18 months ago and touch up every once in a while. I've not gone "all the way", which is pure whiteness, because really I've not been bothered, but i know i could. My teeth are whiter than anybody my age who has not bleached. A couple of friends who have used these bleaching approaches have perfectly white movie-star teeth.

FWIW When I got the kit it had 10% concentration stuff in it, but the touch up tubes can be 10,16, or 22. I go with 16 because 22 really gets my teeth sensitive.

So with the mouth molds, is that DIY at home, or do you go to a dentist?

Dentist did it for $200 or $250 all said and done, including the first 10 syringes of stuff.

Forget whitening gums (chuckle) and pastes. Their concentrations are too low, and even if they weren't it's not on your teeth long enough. Tell me how brushing your teeth with anything safe will mirror 30-60 minutes of having a high potency bleach up against your teeth.

I've not actually tried much with OTC besides the normal pastes and seen mrsskoorb use the strips, but with the strips, for instance, they are not very long and can't effectively get in the gaps. Even then their concentration is too low to be truly effective like an expensive bleach would be.

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.

 

[Peetoeng]

Problem with the OTC stuff is that their cheap-arse molds don't fit--bleach can leak out or saliva can get in.

Your nearby dental school may make you molds for a cheaper price than dentist office.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Peetoeng

Problem with the OTC stuff is that their cheap-arse molds don't fit--bleach can leak out or saliva can get in.

Your nearby dental school may make you molds for a cheaper price than dentist office.

Yeah I think the molds can actually be made for $50 or less and then you can probably get syringes off the net or ask specifically for 16% or something.

 

[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.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: Peetoeng

Problem with the OTC stuff is that their cheap-arse molds don't fit--bleach can leak out or saliva can get in.

Your nearby dental school may make you molds for a cheaper price than dentist office.

so the dentist-made molds have a more snug fit, so you get better results?

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Forget whitening gums (chuckle) and pastes. Their concentrations are too low, and even if they weren't it's not on your teeth long enough. Tell me how brushing your teeth with anything safe will mirror 30-60 minutes of having a high potency bleach up against your teeth.

Maybe the whitening pastes or strips could be good for maintaining results between touch-ups/ treatments?

Do you find your teeth get restained if you drink cola/ coffe/ tea? Or have you stopped drinking that stuff?

 

[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?

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Forget whitening gums (chuckle) and pastes. Their concentrations are too low, and even if they weren't it's not on your teeth long enough. Tell me how brushing your teeth with anything safe will mirror 30-60 minutes of having a high potency bleach up against your teeth.

Maybe the whitening pastes or strips could be good for maintaining results between touch-ups/ treatments?

Do you find your teeth get restained if you drink cola/ coffe/ tea? Or have you stopped drinking that stuff?

You could use strips, but now that you've got molds (yes, to answer your question above: they are tight and keep the stuff close to your teeth) you can just buy syringes of stuff from your dentist and use whenever you like. I personally drink coffee and colas now with a straw, although my dentist never said I had to. He said that they'll naturally stain again depending upon how much red wine, coffee, etc. I drink, but from what I understand it's more or less resetting them as opposed to temporarily just masking the underneath colours, so your teeth will continue to stain as a normal person's--it's not like one drink of coffee and they're back to black again.

 

[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.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: Rogue
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.

Do you take a multimineral/ multivitamin product? It may be my imagination, but I think my teeth are somehow stronger when I've been taking a multi-mineral/ vitamin for a while. They feel healthier, somehow.

 

[Lola]

i have tried the crest whitestrips and the rembreant ones and i think the rembrant ones are much better! in only five appliactions i saw a really big difference. I guess the over the counter ones are not too good for your teeth though. That is what my uncle who is a dentist said anyways.

 

[purbeast0]

so with the kits you can get from the dentist, will insurance cover any of the cost?

i haven't taken advantage of my dental insurance yet since i got my job and i would definitely take advantage of this.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Lola
i have tried the crest whitestrips and the rembreant ones and i think the rembrant ones are much better! in only five appliactions i saw a really big difference. I guess the over the counter ones are not too good for your teeth though. That is what my uncle who is a dentist said anyways.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Have you ever bleached your teeth?

No

 

[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.