Whitestrips Woes

AbsoluteZero

So.

I bought a bigass box of Crest Whitestrips Supreme, in the hopes of returning my teeth to their previous glory. I've never used such a product before, but seeing as it is essentially hydrogen peroxide in gel form, I didn't think much of it. They came recommended to me by a friend and from what I can tell looking around the internets they do work.

So here's the trouble: They hurt like hell. My gums, my poor poor gums. I feel like a circus freak eating light-bulbs. After about 15 minutes of having a pair of strips on, the pain starts to subside... but my gums remain irritated, and brushing my teeth becomes painful.

Let me get it out of the way now: I don't have insurance, and I couldn't possibly afford to go to the dentist. So, it just isn't an option. If it was I wouldn't be here, I'd be setting up an appointment with the dentist.

Is it normal for these things to wreak such havok on your gums? Am I supposed to just "man up" and deal with it for the next three weeks I have to wear these things?

Also, they tend to slip around quite a bit. Will that have an impact on their effectiveness?

Any input would be highly appreciated!

Grundlterror

Do you floss and use mouthwash? I'm not dental hygiene expert or anything but I think if your gums are killing you at any point, it would probably be a good idea to floss and use mouthwash to counteract it.

neth

did you have good brushing habits before you started using them? I know people that have used them because they didn't had this problem, they took a week or two off and brushed consistently which allowed their gums to heal and helped stop the gingivitis then they were able to use the whitestrips with no problems.

AbsoluteZero

Colgate Luminous and Listerine twice a day with a gum massaging toothbrush even. I don't floss though because, well, flossing has always hurt my gums.

I haven't been to a dentist in years though...

Grundlterror

Well I honestly think you should start flossing. I brushed my teeth twice a day with mouthwash, but once I started flossing my gums bled and hurt for a while... but thats because they were in poor shape. Once I continued flossing the pain went away.

Try the little floss picks, they work well and are relatively easy. I use the extra strength kind because the weaker ones usually get torn up when I use them. I also used the oral b hummingbird for a while and it worked really well, only thing was I kept having to replace the disposable floss part and it got kind of expensive.

And if there is any way you can go see a dentist I would do that asap, it's pretty important (although I'm guilty of the same thing).

Spackle

Get to a dentist. Going there is a good way get your teeth in good shape so you can really utilize good brushing/flossing habits. Think of the dentist as getting a fresh start.

Your gums will toughen up, those floss picks are a great idea. There are many little things you can do to help your mouth out. Cut down on pop being a huge one. And if you want one, drink it through a straw. Rinseing your mouth out after every meal helps as well, even if it's just with water. Sugarery foods tend to be 'sticky' and like to hang around your teeth and gums, especially getting in those nooks and cracks so if you're the type of person to munch on candy, you can cut some of that out and choose a different snack.

I'm guilty of awful dental hygeine myself but slowly i'm working my way back.

AbsoluteZero

After looking around a good deal I've found that the pain is caused by the hydrogen peroxide "burning" your gums. A 30% solution of hydrogen peroxide will give you burns and blisters... the stuff on these Whitestrips is a 14% solution. Should I be worried?

Anyone have experience with chemical burns?

Fireflash

Usually if it hurts when you floss it means that your gums are in bad health. Which is probably why your gums are overly sensitive to the whitening gel.

JWFokker

You're not supposed to get the hydrogen peroxide on your gums. It should indicate that in the directions.

Mr_Rose

Any of you guys do that high school bio experiment where you drop a bit of liver into pure H2O2 and it explodes?
That is basically what's happening to your gums, only at 14% normal speed.

Basically, you are attempting to bleach your teeth by oxidising the yellow goo so that it breaks down and falls off - it is exactly the same process as setting the stuff on fire, only slower. You really need this stuff to not get anywhere near living tissue, seriously.
I doubt you'll do permanent damage, 'cause the gumline is the fastest repairing area on your body, but that "the pain goes away after a while" bit? That's because the pain receptors in you gums died.
Carefully re-read the instructions and try again if you dare.

Lastly, check with the manufacturer to make sure you didn't get a bad or even fake batch, 'cause that could mean real trouble...

corcorigan

So you put a mild bleach onto your gums and they hurt? I suspect that means that you're healthy.

NightDragon

I have the regular strips (apparently only 8% Hydrogen Peroxide), and they've worked really well for me. Although I didn't experience any horrible pain while using them, I did experience some mild aching after using the strips twice-a-day for two or three days. My gums are somewhat sensitive, but if I took a few days for a "break", and then went back, the gums were fine again. I never ended up even using half of the package, either...they're pretty effective, even in not-so-frequent applications.

I would suggest trying to toughen up your gums a bit first - and don't brush really hard immediately after using the strips, either, if it's causing you a lot of pain.

I very highly doubt that the gum-pain is something that requires a dentist visit...I've heard of people experiencing some pain using the strips, and some people not having a problem with them. One of my friends tried using the strips, but ended up telling me that her gums hurt too much to use them...so I guess it just depends on the person.


When wearing them, I would suggest you lie on your back and read a book for a half hour, or listen to music, or whathaveyou. This prevents the saliva in your mouth from getting to the strips and diluting the gel, and also prevents the strips from sliding off the teeth (also prevents you from swallowing the stuff - ick!) I still have to readjust them every now and then, but overall it's fine.

Also (if you're going to continue using these strips), I'd suggest pressing the strips in-between the teeth as well...otherwise they'll only whiten the flat fronts of your teeth, and not the edges.

Taking a break for a day or two (or a few) from the strips really isn't going to make much of a difference. Don't feel like you have to wear them *exactly* as the box suggests. You may also consider buying the regular strips (~$20 last time I checked), because the amount of H202 in the gel is less, and may cause you less pain.

EggyToast

I seriously doubt it's chemical burns. If there was any threat of that there would be very loud warnings on the package. Not to mention that the 14% solution is disregarding saliva and other solvents in your mouth (as in, you'll naturally salivate and the amount of bleach will be reduced).

Seriously it sounds like your sensitive gums are the cause of the problem. You should floss more, and that will probably fix it, too, as your gums toughen up.

Here's how you get started flossing and building up your gum strength. First, get a floss "tape" like Glide (bought out by Crest so should be available everywhere now). Floss after brushing your teeth, and focus on just passing it gently past the top of the tooth, and then slide it gently along the side of your teeth. You'll inevitably end up pressing on your gums, but your gums should strengthen up quite quickly. Flossing should focus on the teeth anyway but almost everyone ends up pressing a bit on their gums.

You'll probably have bleeding gums for the first few weeks, which is why you do it after you brush your teeth. Follow up the flossing with some mouthwash, which will probably be stronger than usual due to your flossing.

I would suggest holding off on the whitening strips until you can floss comfortably, and then try again. If the problem persists, either don't worry about whitening, or see a dentist.

Also, while seeing a dentist isn't exactly cheap, a cleaning isn't expensive either. Even w/o insurance. You haven't been in a while, which means they'll have their work cut out for them, but if they do find problems it'll give you all the more reason to get some insurance. You've gotta live with your teeth for the rest of your life

SkyGheNe

I can't emphasize enough that seeing a dentist is a must for those who want healthy gums and teeth.

The food that flossing/brushing/listerine doesn't reach eventually builds up into a calcium deposit within your gums. This leads to a variety of complications over long periods of time...at least try to save up for a once a year visit. I usually like to go every six months.

AbsoluteZero

Well, I picked up a package of those sticks that have a piece of floss stuck on the end. They seem to work well enough. My gums didn't bleed nearly as much as I thought they would, but there was some bleeding.

The instructions for the Whitestrips briefly mentions that you should try not to get any of the gel on your gums. However it is kindof unavoidable for me as (for my upper front teeth anyways) the gums and teeth occupy the same horizontal axis, meaning if I want to cover my entire tooth, I have to cover a little bit of gums too.

After taking a day off, the pain wasn't so bad today. I think I am going to switch to using them every other day, as well as the whole flossing thing.

I also found that massaging my gums with my fingertips afterwards helps relieve soreness considerably.

My brother thinks I might have gingivitis, though it should go away if I use Listerine every day. Is that true? How would I be able to tell if I do indeed have gingivitis?

Smasher

IANAD, but from what I've heard from mine if your gums bleed when you floss normally (thoroughly, but not assaulting your gums) there's a good chance it's gingivitis.

I know you said you can't afford to go to the dentist, but if there's any way for you to save enough money so that you can, that'd probably be a good idea.

Daemonion

Don't use Listerine.

Find a mouthwash without alcohol in it. Listerine kills 99.9% of all BAD and GOOD bacteria in your mouth/throat - the GOOD bacteria prevents Candida (yeast) infections from occurring. Without them, well ...

Aurin

Act Mouthwash is good, alcohol free, and flouride to make the teeth stronger. It's a good idea.

Gabriel_Pitt

Daemonion wrote: »

Don't use Listerine.

Find a mouthwash without alcohol in it. Listerine kills 99.9% of all BAD and GOOD bacteria in your mouth/throat - the GOOD bacteria prevents Candida (yeast) infections from occurring. Without them, well ...

Daily use of Listerine is harmless (at least as far as the causing of oral yeast infections is concerned). It becomes an issue if you start rinsing with it four, five, or six times a day.