To ask for teeth whitening tips / experiences

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Whilst I generally look after my appearance, I have, to be honest, neglected my teeth. I haven’t been to see the dentist since pre-pandemic, I drink a lot of tea, coffee, and some diet soft drinks. My teeth aren’t utterly horrendous but they’re discoloured and over the years, I’ve lost a couple at the back.

I really want to whiten them but I have no idea what the best approach is. I don’t want veneers, the perfect Hollywood smile, or to look like I’ve just been to Turkey; I just want my existing teeth to look cleaner and white, so I can look after them better in future.

I’m lucky enough to be able to pay for dental treatment (within reason), so would be able to afford a decent amount getting this sorted.

Does anyone have any tips or recommendations?

I've been looking in to a few options, and the one I'm leaning towards is the Enlighten system. It's expensive for the upfront cost, £500. This includes the dentist taking impressions of your teeth and having a custom set of trays made, the whitening solution, and the tooth serum. Maintenance is apparently around £50 a year, based on needing one syringe of whitening solution every 12 months to keep it up. They also guarantee B1 level results.

Thank you, I’ll look into that.

I order Crest whitening strips from the American version of amazon. They get to the UK in about 5 days and Amazon sorts customs etc.

From memory, it is about £45ish a box. I get the ones that say "professional".

They whitened my teeth about 4 or 5 shades and even my DH noticed and said they looked great!

I now do once a year or so just to maintain :)

Illegal in the UK for a reason tho

I used Enlighten Whitening (via my dentist) and it was great. About £500 but they were doing a special offer so was nearer £400.

My teeth look cleaner and brighter without looking too white. Lovely and natural.

I had a bit of sensitivity when wearing the solution (over night) but that stopped once I had removed the trays from my mouth.

I've got loads of solution left for top ups so I've not had to spend anything else yet.

Why are the crest whitening strips illegal? Ive tried the ones in the uk and they are not that effective.

I use MySweetSmile. It’s a powder that has worked for me and I’ve had compliments. My friend trains dental nurses and warned me not to use too often as it could scratch the enamel. I’m really happy with the results though.

A quick google says- The European Commission set limits for hydrogen peroxide of 6% for dentists and 0.1% for DIY use. Crests contain around 14%.

My dentist refused to whiten my teeth.
He says that for my age and the condition they’re in that they’re not too bad and to leave them alone.
I would love them to be whiter.

Look for a dentist that does Phillips Zoom whitening. It's a in practice procedure that is pain free and easy. There may be an option to top up with home retainers. I did this initially and it made a huge difference. I top up every so often and confess I have ordered the US crest strips but approach with caution - they cause me a lot of sensitivity. If you have the funds do it properly via a dentist.

Your dentist is not your boss though! You don't have to do what they say - just go elsewhere?

I, too, would love whiter teeth. My dentist said that it would be difficult to whiten them as apparently I was given a certain kind of antibiotic as a child which discoloured them. They're not noticeably discoloured except on close inspection they look a bit yellower at the bottom. Sigh.

Same here.

I tried that My Sweet Smile, it did nothing.

Well yeah, not your boss but nonetheless an expert who is usually happy to sell services and products to people who want them. If Dentist advises against I would accept the advice as in my best interest with the dentist have more expertise and experience with what the treatments entail and the outcome/risks of them going wrong.

Discuss it with your dentist. I wouldn't go to anyone else for this.

I treated myself to Enlighten through my dentist.
He said it's the best one as is tailored to you.
It was about £500.
My teeth look white but a natural white. Not obvious it's been done, my teeth look lovely in photos.

I've done Enlighten too. Really pleased with the results, they're healthy and clean looking, buy not glowing white. The dentist told me to wear them for 14 nights, but the sensitivity (and a kind of ache) got so bad I only managed 10. Now I top up for 3/4 days once a year or so.

However, if you haven't been a regular at the dentist, do that and see a hygienist first. That made such a difference to me I was in two minds whether to bother with the whitening.

A brand called boutique via the dentist. They make an impression of your teeth and advise you on the best course whether that be overnight or the few hour one.
Naturally white teeth as like you, I didn't want to have the 'hollywood' whiteness.
I was advised for the overnight treatment as I have high fluoride in my teeth and was really impressed with the results.
Initially cost about £400 and then top up syringes every few years which I think is about £45 for one syringe.
No sensitivity and I was happy with the results.

I’ve had excellent results from Whitewash, which is a dental grade whitening gel I bought from my dentist. I bought a box of 4 syringes filled with gel, and dispensed it onto a retainer, kept the retainer in overnight and repeated until I got the desired colour.

The Crest white strips were also really good and gave quick results but faded quite quickly for me; but then I do like to drink black tea/coffee which doesn’t help.

You really need dental grade products for the best results.

Edited to add: Whitewash costs around £35 per syringe.