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Original poster

Tooth whitening

14 replies

MerryInthechelseahotel · 03/04/2024 16:22

I'm looking for advice for tooth whitening! My daughter's wedding is coming up in six weeks and I think I have left it too late to get it done professionally at a dentist. Can anyone give me any advice on the whitening strips or other alternatives? I do feel it will make a big difference to me on the day.

OP posts:
Maybeicanhelpyou · 03/04/2024 16:24

You have not left it too late to have it done professionally if you’re registered at a dentist

Lollygaggle · 03/04/2024 17:05

You cannot legally buy whitening strips in the U.K. that contain enough active ingredient to whiten teeth.

If you can get an appointment quickly with your dentist you might , just, if you are lucky have enough time to have your teeth whitened , but be warned some people need more time than others to whiten teeth so it's not guaranteed they will lighten in time.

Original poster
MerryInthechelseahotel · 03/04/2024 23:51

I've tried my dentist and they said the dentist who usually does this is off work and I wouldn't be able to do it in time. If I go to another dentist I have to register with them and become a patient, then they would need to do a check up even though I have just had one. I was hoping that strips might make some difference.

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SidekickSylvia · 04/04/2024 20:34

I buy Crest White strips from Amazon. You have to open an Amazon.com account (American) as they're not sold in the UK. They have peroxide in them, I think the same amount as dentists use here. I've just ordered 44 strips (22 applications) for about £50 including delivery and duty charges. I don't have sensitive teeth so I can leave them on for an hour, but I'd recommend half an hour for a few consecutive days to test your sensitivity. I ordered yesterday and they'll arrive on 12th (April). I drink a lot of coke and tea and use them for a couple of weeks every 6 months. They work - I normally notice a difference after 4 or 5 applications.

Lollygaggle · 04/04/2024 20:40

It is illegal to sell these in the U.K. , Europe , Australia and New Zealand as they contain more than 100 times legal limit of bleaching agent so you are using a seller who is knowingly breaking the law.
Many of these products have levels of hydrogen peroxide that even a dentist is not allowed to use.

You have no guarantee that these are genuine , not counterfeit and safe , as the seller is knowingly committing a criminal act. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9613015/Illegal-teeth-whitening-kits-widely-available-eBay-Amazon.html

ManchesterBeatrice · 04/04/2024 20:50

Crest whitening strips, have to get them online, they do work and dentists are fine with them.

tessdurbyfield · 04/04/2024 20:58

You can get teeth impression kits off Amazon - they send you the kit, you do the impression and send off, and then they send you your own custom dental trays. Then I use Polanight carbamide peroxide, no higher than 16%. Within 3/4 gos, your teeth will be glowing (but avoid coffee/wine!) I follow this routine set by my dentist best friend ☺️

Maybeicanhelpyou · 04/04/2024 22:54

@tessdurbyfield
this may be fine for you, as your friend is a dentist!
But it is definitely not safe for someone who isn’t being monitored by a dentist. The bleach could be being applied to cavities, fractured fillings, leaking crowns, exposed root surfaces to name but a few ….. these issues need to be addressed before any bleaching agents go anywhere near the teeth.
You wouldn’t want bleach getting in under a failing filling. Your ‘advice’ isn’t safe

tessdurbyfield · 04/04/2024 22:57

Maybeicanhelpyou · 04/04/2024 22:54

@tessdurbyfield
this may be fine for you, as your friend is a dentist!
But it is definitely not safe for someone who isn’t being monitored by a dentist. The bleach could be being applied to cavities, fractured fillings, leaking crowns, exposed root surfaces to name but a few ….. these issues need to be addressed before any bleaching agents go anywhere near the teeth.
You wouldn’t want bleach getting in under a failing filling. Your ‘advice’ isn’t safe

Valid - I am working under the assumption that OP has 6 monthly check ups and knows her teeth are healthy and strong and 'normal'. She is under the care of a dentist who knows her teeth and her post didn't indicate that her dentist thought she would not be a suitable candidate for whitening. If not, it obviously goes without saying that you should not be doing any whitening until sorted. If your dentist has not flagged up any issues and you know your dental health is good, I am a strong believer in DIYing at home using the method I said - it is exactly the same and a fraction of the cost of doing it in house.

Maybeicanhelpyou · 04/04/2024 23:01

@tessdurbyfield as long as you know when to stop! As it’s like bleaching hair, be careful.

Lollygaggle · 05/04/2024 06:46

There is a reason why laws were passed in the U.K. , Europe, Australia, New Zealand banning the sale of whitening kits and strips to the general public containing more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. It is all about safety as these kits can do permanent, irreversible harm to teeth and gums . A dentist has to oversee treatment because the chemicals used can cause problems from killing off nerves to tipping over a suspicious lesion into oral cancer.

You may or may not agree with this but the result is if you buy the chemicals or strips in the U.K. you are not buying from legitimate companies. Proctor and gamble will not break the law and allow sales in the U.K. so you are putting chemicals inside your body bought from criminals knowingly breaking the law. You have no guarantee the strips or chemicals are genuine , that they are what they say they are , that they contain what they say they contain.

Strips and kits are sold containing sodium perborate , which is banned because of health concerns, sodium chlorate , which is swimming pool cleaner etc.

There have been multiple prosecutions and multiple warnings about the safety of buying online whitening chemicals when you have no idea that they are what they say they are because there is no legitimate way of supplying them in the U.K. or Europe . https://www.bda.org/media-centre/dentists-and-which-warn-of-risks-from-buying-teeth-whitening-products-online/

It is not the same as dentist , they can legally acquire the kit from a legitimate source who is not breaking the law.

LennyBalls · 05/04/2024 07:21

Whitening toothpaste from Amazon US site. Delivered in about three weeks. It has higher hydrogen peroxide than anything over here. I only use it sparingly and every so often. It does work.

Simonjt · 05/04/2024 07:25

Buy some crest strips online, they’re fab and easy to use, they aren’t expensive either and give very good results.

Lollygaggle · 05/04/2024 08:52

If you want to do it legally and safely do it with your dentist, then once you've have the trays , when you need a top up , then ask at your check up and most dentists will charge £10 to £20 for a tube to top up.
Safe,legal you know what you're getting and will have come from legitimate sources rather than a criminal enterprise illegally supplying strips or solution from unknown source , containing unknown chemicals and very likely counterfeit or out of date.

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