Teeth whitening strips on Tik Tok

[Pleasegivemeyourwisdom]

I’m middle aged, a prolific tea drinker and have always had naturally yellowy teeth.

Theyre very clean teeth but even more yellowy as I age :-(

Im tempted to try whitening strips (no budget for proper dentist led treatment sadly). Just to take the ‘yellowy’ tinge off…

Am I mad? Any views? Tips? Wisdom? Are they a gimmick?

Tempted specifically by the ‘whites beaconsfield’ ones on tik tok.

mumsnet gurus - how can I genuinely whiten my teeth a little?

Thanks for reading xx

Waste of money , active ingredient is sodium bicarbonate ie baking powder which is slightly abrasive but that’s it.

It is illegal in the U.K. , Europe and elswhere to sell anything over the counter that has sufficient concentration of hydrogen peroxide to whiten teeth.

Any whiteners sold legally will either be acidic (dissolve away stains and tooth enamel) or abrasive (wears away stains and enamel ) or both.

Yellowy teeth as you age are not stained , it’s as more dentine (middle layer of tooth) laid down and the outside white enamel wears . It makes them strong but less white.

Hell no. There was something on one of the consumer programs about this sort of product, and rogue ones (which, let’s face it, TikTok ones will likely be) can be hugely damaging.

My dentist came up with a bleaching kit for me, it worked, but not very much, and I didn’t think it was worth the money, time or effort.

Just accept the natural colour of your teeth. Not worth the risk of doing any damage. You can get tooth whitening tooth paste - I don't think it works, but it will be just as good or bad as anything else

Crest white strips are the ONLY strips that work as they contain bleach. They really do work. You need to get them from USA but there are lots of people selling them on USA selling Facebook groups.

Ah ok thank you!

However it is illegal to sell them in U.K. or Europe so you will be buying from someone knowingly breaking the law , so what guarantee do you have that they are not counterfeit and contain what they say they do?
Will you willingly put inside your body something bought from a criminal?

I’ve used the whites of beaconsfield ones OP,
you can also buy from Amazon or via their website and they’re a legitimate uk business for those fretting about the TikTok angle (lots of legit small businesses on there!)

My teeth definitely look better - the
strips do lift any staining and therefore teeth look better overall. They’re not especially ‘whiter’ in themselves though, I also have naturally yellow teeth and the strips (which as others have said don’t/ can’t legally contain any bleach) can’t really do anything about that. It’s not going to make you look like the people in the ‘commission paid’ links who guaranteed have some kind of veneers/ bonding/ other treatment going on.

I use icy bear strips and tooth powder in a pot, they work.

What about the best teeth whitening toothpaste?

Sorry I don't know which one that is though.

It’s not that expensive to get this through your dentist. You’d be better off saving up for that.

As you get older your enamel wears away and the yellow dentine underneath becomes more visible. No bleach or whitening paste can solve this as its not the enamel that is yellow.

The best course is to strengthen the remaining enamel. I bought a remineralising toothpaste from Boots.

The below tips are from Google

1. Eat calcium-rich foods. ...
2. Drink water instead of soda or juice. ...
3. Brush with an enamel-strengthening toothpaste. ...
4. Reduce foods and drinks that stain enamel. ...
5. Eat a balanced diet. ...
6. Get plenty of fluoride. ...
7. Avoid DIY whitening remedies. ...

once teeth are fully formed at age of around 12 the amount of calcium you have will not affect them as the enamel is then , essentially, inert .

Enamel strengthening toothpaste is no better than any other toothpaste containing fluoride or hydroxy apatite and will make no visible difference anyway

No whitening toothpaste is legally allowed to contain enough hydrogen peroxide to whiten teeth.

“Whitening “ toothpastes are either abrasive or acid or both so will dissolve or abrade away stain (and enamel if used often enough) but will not whiten .

Agree with Crest whitestrips, I used them years ago, bought off the internet

Yes there is risk involved but they worked 🤷‍♀️ your call

Tooth powder is an abrasive it will only rub stain off , it won’t whiten teeth.

The strips contain an acid and caustic soda as active ingredients so will not whiten teeth just remove stain and possibly enamel if used too often.

They are banned in Europe, U.K. , New Zealand and Australia for a reason https://dentistry.co.uk/2021/05/26/illegal-teeth-whitening-almost-60-of-online-products-exceed-legal-levels-of-hydrogen-peroxide/

Crest White Strips are good. My teeth went really white and had lots of compliments on them. But they did go sensitive after using them and probably ruined the enamel a bit!

Yes , and repeated use can cause bad gum health, kill off the nerve inside the tooth and can be a risk factor for oral cancer . https://www.itv.com/news/2021-05-25/unsafe-home-teeth-whitening-kits-found-to-contain-illegal-levels-of-hydrogen-peroxide

My teeth are very white naturally, but as a heavy tea drinker I get staining around the lower front ones (where they meet rather than on the front of the tooth if that makes sense, between them). I get an “airflow polish” once a year at the dentist which is like a kind of jet wash and really brightens them up as well as removing stains. It costs about £90.

Am trying to cut down on the 5 or so large mugs of tea I drink daily. My dentist said this is a good idea. Also less citrus fruits and anything likely to erode the enamel. 20 years ago I had them whitened and wow they looked great for a long time then had the occasional bleach top up. These days they are not yellow but not white either. Am not risking more damage from the bleaching via the dentist and all the claims of over the counter results don't seem convincing so am leaving well alone.

I’m learning a ton - thank you!

I recently bought a sonic toothbrush and my teeth are less yellow than they were.

Ah ok thanks!

Another vote for crest whitestrips here. They're really easy to buy online and they really work. As pp have said they're no joke so use with caution and don't overuse. But they are great. I've tried professional bleach trays from my dentist and the whitestrips are so much easier and less faff and less painful for the same result

Enlighten Is a tooth whitening system that you have to do through your dentist but it’s a one off and should last forever. I’ve seen it on someone who had very little enamel but very yellow dentine and the results are amazing and have lasted. It wasn’t cheap but if you are seriously bothered and don’t want to damage your teeth or cause sensitivity issues, it is well worth it.