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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I'm about to cry about my teeth

81 replies

joltser · 23/04/2023 19:39

I'm early 20s. Bought professional whitening gel because I was seriously insecure about my yellow teeth. This hasn't seemed to work too much.

Further research and inspection and all the edges of my teeth are translucent - seeming to mean no enamel? Which would mean that whitening products won't work and the only option for a better colour on them is bonding/veneers.

I'm just devastated. I have an NHS dentist but they haven't had anyone available for a year. There's no way I can afford private.
All I want is slightly whiter teeth that aren't destined to just get worse. I'm so insecure about the yellowness of them.

Any other personal experiences? Or advice? I've never felt my confidence so low about something.

OP posts:
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5
Original poster
joltser · 23/04/2023 20:03

@Vanillalime also dentist!

OP posts:
treespouse · 23/04/2023 20:04

How long have you been using it? Do you store it in the fridge? It's crazy that it's not working for you, I wonder why?! I'd be fuming if I were you that's the good stuff!

Original poster
joltser · 23/04/2023 20:05

@treespouse not kept in the fridge and close to its expiration. Maybe I need new stuff? I was tempted to buy a new syringe but then I started reading that they'll never whiten if you have translucent edges because you have no enamel and didn't want to waste £40 on a syringe!

OP posts:
FurAndFeathers · 23/04/2023 20:05

joltser · 23/04/2023 19:51

@JADS here is a picture - the translucency seems to be worse in real life than it looks here and is along my bottom teeth too. This is the colour after a few whitening gel sessions too! Sad

Your teeth are entirely normal. Everyone has that translucent. It doesn’t mean you have no enamel Confused

Original poster
joltser · 23/04/2023 20:06

@FurAndFeathers oh thank god. So, the yellow looks like it COULD be from staining that can be whitened rather from a lack of enamel?

The best news for me right now would be that I was wrong and dramatic and it isn't as unsolveable as I thought.

OP posts:
RedDoughnut · 23/04/2023 20:09

Your teeth look totally normal!

itsmylife7 · 23/04/2023 20:11

OP most teeth have that see through bit at the edge. You've got nice teeth .

Original poster
joltser · 23/04/2023 20:15

@itsmylife7 I don't know why everything I've read on Google is so opposite to this, basically that the translucency is the start of the end! I'm glad I posted on here for a little peace of mind. Maybe I'm over panicking

OP posts:
BarkyMatherson · 23/04/2023 20:18

You have lovely teeth.

I have bleach from the dentist, anything you can buy from a chemist won’t work.

My private check up is about £40 and hygienist not much more.

cosmicfig · 23/04/2023 20:19

The translucency around the edges is normal - I have it too. There is nothing to worry about. Unless you have a very acidic diet ie tonnes of citrus fruit and white wine etc. Even then your enamel will not go away - just be more likely to have sensitivity.

To get a proper whitening result you will need professional whitening at a dentist or the very least the home kits from the dentist with the custom trays made to fit your teeth. It is expensive and may not be an option right now of course. But please don’t worry about your enamel. I’m fact you may have thick enamel if your teeth don’t whiten easily.

also if you get the right shade of dark lipstick like red, burgundy etc it can make your teeth look whiter in the meantime :)

itsmylife7 · 23/04/2023 20:20

@joltser Google causes so much upset to many people.

BMW6 · 23/04/2023 20:22

Um....... I asked my dentist about my non white teeth and he advised me that whitening products damage the enamel and expose the yellow dentine beneath.

As you age this happens naturally, you end up with yellow teeth that you can't bleach because the dentine just becomes further exposed.

Your teeth are lovely OP. Not at all yellow, just not blindingly neon white (which looks totally fake like false teeth anyway).

Please don't use any more bleaching products because I think you'll make it worse in the long run.

Appreciate what you DO have - very healthy teeth and a lovely smile.

FurAndFeathers · 23/04/2023 20:24

Honestly I think you’re wrong - you clearly have an enamel surface and normal translucency. Your teeth aren’t even yelliw

do you have anxiety generally ?

TheyAreMyBhunasPete · 23/04/2023 20:24

Instead of buying the cheaper stuff regularly, can you save up for the more expensive whitening treatment? I asked the dentist the other day about different options and the more expensive one (500 ish) has a shade guarantee. And coffee wine etc won't make it go back. So it guarantees they would be white

CleverLilViper · 23/04/2023 20:26

joltser · 23/04/2023 19:56

So just to clarify, is it untrue that if your enamel is gone/you have translucency that professional whitening doesn't work? Confused

Yes.

I have translucency on the edges of my teeth as well. That's normal. I went to a dentist, because like you, I believed that meant there was something wrong with my teeth.

He told me it was normal. He said a lot of people have a false perception of what normal and healthy teeth look like because so many use bleaching agents to whiten their teeth/veneers.

If you had no enamel, you would know about it.

Original poster
joltser · 23/04/2023 20:27

@FurAndFeathers haha yes, shockingly. I'm glad to know I'm wrong about the enamel!!! But I do still think they're really yellow.

Not sure if the influence of media/filters/increase in veneers is altering my mind about what natural teeth look like but I definitely feel like mine are so dark that I feel seriously unattractive and embarrassed if anyone sees them now!

OP posts:
Soonenough · 23/04/2023 20:28

My sis had very brittle teeth , discoloured too. Instead of veneers she was offered composite bonding , like covers for your teeth . Look fab . Much cheaper option . Got prominent ones done and whitened the rest.

cosmicfig · 23/04/2023 20:31

If you have no enamel there would be no translucency at all. Dentine (which is under the enamel) is completely opaque / matte.
I was a dental nurse for many years and for
a while I assisted on all of the whitening treatments.

Original poster
joltser · 23/04/2023 20:31

@CleverLilViper I'm so reassured right now. I can honestly think/talk myself into such spirals

OP posts:
amarante · 23/04/2023 20:31

This are mine. I noticed a yellow stain on the top near the gums. Is this enamel erosion?

I'm about to cry about my teeth
I'm about to cry about my teeth
cosmicfig · 23/04/2023 20:35

Were these images taken a few years apart? The second image looks like gum recession.
Do you brush your teeth quite hard? I am not a dentist of course but it can be caused by that. Best to get checked 😊

amarante · 23/04/2023 20:35

I think it was I was brushing vigorously and used a powder from Superdrug- I want to cry

cosmicfig · 23/04/2023 20:37

Bless you. It probably is the brushing rather than the powder. Your dentist might be able to fill the gaps with composite. An electric toothbrush is kinder on the gums if you haven’t got one I would try that instead of a manual.

PenelopeTitsDrop3121 · 23/04/2023 20:38

Honestly they look fine to me 😀

DimplesToadfoot · 23/04/2023 20:40

@joltser do you wear Lipstick? The wrong tone can make teeth look more yellow, and the right tone can make them look whiter

Have a look at Alexandra Anele 'Lipstick making your teeth look yellow' on Youtube she explains it better than I ever could.

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