[+41] Teeth

[Samantha]

My teeth aren't really bright white, well three of my teeth aren't mine anyway so hence they're stright and white. My science teacher told us your teeth aren't meant to be fully white as it's not healthy. I would suggest whitening toothpaste though x.

[dirrty]

tbf i only brush my teeth in the morning (can never be arsed at night) and they're pretty white. obviously not pearly white, but light enough.

[JoeyK.]

Interesting topic. I'll never have perfectly white teeth because of how much coffee I drink, but my wife is a dental assistant - I'll see if I can get some advice from her about what would be the best way to go about it.

[Metric1]

I have perectly white teeth.. I brush with Crest 3D white toothpaste and I use whitening strips every so many months.. I can only use like 1-2 strips because they make my teeth very sensitive so a whole kit lasts me like 2 years.. I smoke, drink coffee and drink wine. My teeth should be black lol

[LoveToStack]

Personally I think 'whitening' toothpastes are complete crap (colgate etc). On the one hand you have these toothpastes which claim to whiten your teeth which produce questionable results and on the other you have products designed solely for whitening teeth which have extremely noticeable results. I can only go on my own experience but toothpastes have done nothing for whitening my teeth and I only drink water; no fizzy drinks, tea, coffee, wine or nicotine so I can't see a toothpaste alone offsetting those things.

Crest strips are effective as people have said but the most effective stuff will be what your dentist can offer you. Might as well just ask the next time you're in for a check-up as you're not obliged to buy anything they offer; they're simply the most qualified people to inform you about it. AFAIK they offer a thing where they fit you for a gumshield and basically you wear the gumshield for X amount of minutes while you're at home while it has some kind of peroxide solution in it. The advantage being that where something like Crest strips might not cover every inch of your teeth due to the shape of the strip and your teeth, a molded gumshield will fit your teeth exactly and you'll get full coverage (I think).

[JoeyK.]

Personally I think 'whitening' toothpastes are complete crap (colgate etc). On the one hand you have these toothpastes which claim to whiten your teeth which produce questionable results and on the other you have products designed solely for whitening teeth which have extremely noticeable results. I can only go on my own experience but toothpastes have done nothing for whitening my teeth and I only drink water; no fizzy drinks, tea, coffee, wine or nicotine so I can't see a toothpaste alone offsetting those things.

Crest strips are effective as people have said but the most effective stuff will be what your dentist can offer you. Might as well just ask the next time you're in for a check-up as you're not obliged to buy anything they offer; they're simply the most qualified people to inform you about it. AFAIK they offer a thing where they fit you for a gumshield and basically you wear the gumshield for X amount of minutes while you're at home while it has some kind of peroxide solution in it. The advantage being that where something like Crest strips might not cover every inch of your teeth due to the shape of the strip and your teeth, a molded gumshield will fit your teeth exactly and you'll get full coverage (I think).

You're completely right. All toothpaste sold in the stores that aren't prescription have the exact same active ingredient, at the exact same percentage. That $5 bottle you buy because it says 'whitening' is no different at all than the $1 version next to it. Some have baking soda in them, but the whitening ability is trivial, and it tastes pretty bad too.

I pay about $15 a bottle for my toothpaste, but I'm prone to cavities and have a prescription for Clinpro 5000. That price is after my wife's discount through work, so it's probably a bit more expensive - the only difference is that is has a much higher concentration of fluoride. No toothpaste will make your teeth whiter, and anything that's available over the counter isn't going to help you very much either (strips, etc).

She works for a corporate office, and they once had someone come in a few years ago to another one of their locations who literally put diluted bleach underneath their night guard before bed. :rolleyes: (In case there was any question, don't actually do that).

[karter]

when i got my braces off my teeth were disgustingly yellow, so i had them bleached from the dentist, it was done from an instrument which emitted light. it was not laser because the dentist said so, and it took like 15 minutes

[Richie]

Cheers for all the replies +rep to those and i'll try some of your tips

tbf i only brush my teeth in the morning (can never be arsed at night) and they're pretty white. obviously not pearly white, but light enough.

That's because you're black, black people always have awesome white teeth.

[Red]

My aunty bought a whitening kit for my cousin at christmas. You got the gel and a mouthguard. I think it was like £40 but I will ask her the name of it. If you go to the dentist they make you a custom fit guard but it can cost hundreds.

[JoeyK.]

Well, according to her, over the counter white strips are your best bet if you don't want to see a dentist. They're not nearly as effective as getting a professional treatment, but the cost difference is significant. A home remedy she's seen success with is baking soda and peroxide - brushing first with your normal toothpaste, then mixing about a teaspoon of baking soda and 2-3 drops of hydrogen peroxide (5% by weight) into a paste and using it as a toothpaste for an additional two minutes before bed.