teeth whitening

Jars

I'm looking into some teeth whitening because despite having perfect teeth(no cavities/braces at 26) my teeth are not white at all and it's starting to bother me. I've heard that laser whitening is pretty cheap and only takes about 30 minutes, anyone have any experience with it?

Nanaki

Before my highschool prom, I did the teeth whitening thing. I think what it was called was Zoom! I don't know if I'm a special case, but this procedure was the most painful thing I've done so far in my life. The way it works is they put a special gel of sorts on your teeth and then sit you infront of a UV light for hours. The light causes reactions in the gel, and whitens your teeth for you.

The whole time I was sitting in the chair it felt like my teeth were slowly blowing up like balloons, just getting bigger and bigger in my mouth. The pain got worse and worse until they finally let me go. I thought as soon as they got the light off me the pain would go away, but it stuck with me for a good week or so. There were points when I just wanted to curl up in a corner and die. I distictly rememeber trying to eat a single french fry a few days after the procedure, and it causing me the worst grinding discomfort I've ever felt.

I'm not saying don't get it done, because like I said I think I was a pretty rare case. The procedure actually really did work work for me. I didn't think my teeth were particularly discolored beforehand, but they came out a good 4 shades whiter. Just also keep in mind that it can be a pretty expensive procedure. So weigh out your pro's and con's and maybe look up some reviews before you make your decision.

TLDR: The results were great, but the pain didn't seem worth it to me.

Rhan9

Teeth whitening is something that I would not recommend unless you have horribly discolored teeth, as it can be very painful depending on the procedure, and nearly always slightly damages your teeth in the long term, making them more prone to cavities and other fun stuff(at least that's what I've heard, and I'm no dentist, so take it with a heap of salt). If you do go with this, try for a slight degree of whitening instead of the usual American OHGODMYEYES sort of white, as unnaturally white teeth can be just as distracting as horribly discolored teeth in an individual.

Pariel

Isn't there some shorter procedure that's available? I know my girlfriend's parents get their teeth whitened every few years, and I'm sure what you're describing wouldn't be worth it to them.

Officer 1BDI

My aunt got me some sort of discount that I took advantage of because my braces left some fugly stains on my front teeth that I wanted to get rid of and I was hoping the whitening might make them less obvious.

I couldn't even finish the procedure, I found it so painful. Now, I have sensitive teeth to begin with, so YMMV, but the light they used made my teeth feel like they were on fire. They gave me some sort of gel that I was supposed to wear while I was sleeping, but I quit that within a day because it also made my teeth feel like someone was taking a blowtorch to their nerves. So, at the end of the whole thing I ended up with marginally whiter teeth and wasted money.

But that was almost half a decade ago, so maybe the technology's improved since then.

EggyToast

Those white strips actually do work, IF you use them as directed. And they will make your teeth sensitive, although not to the same degree as the professional (and much faster) methods. Of course, they don't make your teeth as white as professional solutions, but since the sensitivity is less, it could be useful as a way to see how you fare.

OnTheLastCastle

I tried some whitening strips a few years ago and they made my teeth unbelievably sensitive. I could feel air on them.

Dr. Frenchenstein

how long does that sensitivity last?

Melinoe

also a slower but equally effective (and cheaper) solution is to rinse your mouth with hydrogen peroxide 1-2 times a day. takes a little while but I have seen it work and as far as I know it doesn't increase sensitivity. just make sure to dilute it if you buy the undiluted kind, ours is like 3% and needs no diluting.

QuantumTurk

So, I have experience with whitening strips (crest, in my case) and I was only able to use them 2 days at a time, then skip a day, then resume due to increasing tooth sensitivity. They did seem to work though. At least when I did it, white strips and the dentist were using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) just in different concentrations. I forget the point of the lamp, but it may have been to release H2O2 from an otherwise stable gel. H2O2 solutions are pretty notorious for degrading into water, so that would make sense.
At any rate, though I have not heard about long term damage (though I'm sure some people out there have gone crazy with whitening and found out there is some negative effects to doing it excessively) sensitivity is a common issue and will vary person to person. If you can snag a coupon, I say grab the at home strips, and if those bug you, weigh the pain of the full bore professional treatment vs how your teeth look.

Also remember, whitening is never permanent, if you drink coffee/soda/tea/smoke you will stain your teeth again.

bowen

Don't do any sort of UV treatment, this is actually bad for your teeth from what my dentist told me. Teeth are naturally yellow, but keep brushing rinsing and cut out coffee/tobacco/soda.

AlyceInWonderland

I'm using crest white strips right now, and I'm on like...day 7, and so far my teeth are all sparkly, and no sensitivity yet.


So, there's that.