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Original poster

Cosmetic Dentistry - Has anybody had professional whitening or veneers?

34 replies

MascaraOHara · 09/05/2008 10:57

My dentist seems very against off the shelf whitening products because they damage in the long term.

I'm seriously considering professional whitening? has anybody had this done, are you pleased or is it a horror story?

would you recommend it?

My teeth aren't really bad but they aren't white.. my dentist refuses on the basis that they are a 'natural' colour and they shouldn't be white.. I'm not saying I want them bright white but I would like them less cream iykwim.

it's not noticable to others so it's would be purely for myself.

and yes I probably am weird and shallow but I have a thing about nice teeth. I'm so of people with lovely white straight teeth.

OP posts:
Original poster
MascaraOHara · 09/05/2008 10:59

sorry, should have also added..

I don't know anybody who has anything like this done in RL but would really like to hear some RL examples and/or recommendations

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BoysAreLikeDogs · 09/05/2008 11:04

Watching with interest

wrinklytum · 09/05/2008 11:04

I had a weirdy front tooth (have always had crappy teeth despite having fluoride treatment a s a kid) and when pg my lovely dentist put a veneer on it.It has been fine.I think its quite pricey to have it done though (luckily have nhs dentist)

MimieD · 09/05/2008 11:13

BF has had professional whitening done, am very of her lovely teeth, very nice natural white (as opposed to the Hollywood white).
Really want to have it done as well and think I will treat myself as a reward for giving birth to DC2 later this year

zippitippitoes · 09/05/2008 11:16

ihad mine whitened when dp dumped me last year

in my mad spending spree

they looked very white after but 3 weeks later they looked less so

they are still whiter than they were

but i have stopped drinking tea and red wine

people have said to me you have lovely white teeth
but i dont think it is that noticeable now

i think it cost about 500 quid i can't quite remeber [selective memory emoticon]

umberella · 09/05/2008 11:18

A good friend of mine had veneers fitted about six or seven years ago - it TOTALLY changed the way she looked (for the better) and gave her heaps of confidence.

umberella · 09/05/2008 11:18

(she has crooked, gappy teeth before)

Anchovy · 09/05/2008 11:21

Have had mine professionally whitened - am very pleased with the result. Deffo not "Hollywood-brite", just a more natural creamy white. Basically they look at your current shade and show you how it can be brought up by 2 or 3 shades.

Can't remember how much it cost - had to have some other stuff done and dentist threw in a discount to have this done at the end.

Defnitely worth it in a "self confidence" type way, I think.

Winetimeisfinetime · 09/05/2008 11:23

I had my teeth whitened last year by my dentist. I had to wear bleach filled 'trays' overnight for a few weeks. It worked quite well and they are still fairly white even though I do drink tea and red wine. The problem I had was intense sensitivity caused by the bleach which was at times very painful and I had to keep stopping the treatment to let my teeth recover.

I think if I was having it done again I would invstigate something called Zoom which I believe is fairly instant - not sure about the sensitivity issues though but I would imagine is more expensive thatn the £200 my method cost,

Are you thinking of veneers to adjust the colour of your teeth or because they aren't straight ?

zippitippitoes · 09/05/2008 11:32

mine was zoom you have it done in one session in the dentists chair

your teeth do hurt for a few days lkike toothache

i found the proceedure quite claustrophobic and i was desperate for the loo

i did feel mlike i had one of those ting stars on my teeth after but once the white faded down it was more natural but vaguely disappointing

i do now have made to measure trays for top ups tho

Original poster
MascaraOHara · 09/05/2008 11:35

my teeth aren't horribly crooked, like I say it's not noticable to others. but I'm conscious there is a slight overlap here and there. Also my fangs are quite pointy.

To be honest more interested in the whitening side.

Is it all done by bleach/acid? that's what my dentist always goes on about being bad. I would prefer an alternative, that's why I would consider veneers.

That's what I want the natural creamy-white look.

Did you all have it done at your dentist? if not would you recommend the company you went to?

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Original poster
MascaraOHara · 09/05/2008 11:36

Zippi, do you have to keep doing it semi-/regularly?

was it bleach?

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Winetimeisfinetime · 09/05/2008 11:41

The trouble with veneers is that they will need to shave down your own teeth to fit them and once that is done there is no going back - you will need to wear veneers of life.

I think if it is whitening that you are mainly interested in I would go the bleaching route. My dentist was of the mind that the otc bleaches or stuff you can get from your hairdresser wasn't as good as that from the dentist - but he would say that wouldn't he !

I have a slight overlap to one of my front teeth and have Invisalign { virtually invisible } braces which may be worth thinking about if you do ever decide that your overlaps bother you.

zippitippitoes · 09/05/2008 11:44

it is the peroxide stuff yep plus ultra violet light

you get some to take home which is expensive too

i should get some more really

and it doesnt do the bits where your gums have receded if they have

zippitippitoes · 09/05/2008 11:46

i do floss my teeth twice a day too

tho rather madly i havent been to the dentisit since i had the whitening done which is silly

Original poster
MascaraOHara · 09/05/2008 11:46

my dentist won't bleach. He has said if I'm that bothered to use a whitening toothpaste but to check it doesn't contain bleach, acid or anything ending in 'acid' but I've tried whitening toothpastes and they just end up makingm y teeth look patchy/worse.

White straight teeth would be lovely but I'll settle for white. Reluctant to have veneers as you have to have them done (is it after 30 years?) I'm only 30 this year so would have to spend thousands now and then again when I was only 60.. if I had veneers I'd probably wait until I was ~35

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zippitippitoes · 09/05/2008 11:48

well im 50 so my teeth havent got o last that long

i havent had any filings for twenty years

and i have all my own teeth

BrassicaNapusNapobrassica · 09/05/2008 11:49

People who have a bright-white set of gnashers can look very plasticky.

Winetimeisfinetime · 09/05/2008 11:52

I was told that veneers shoud last 10-15 years if looked after properly so it will potentially mean a lifetime of replacing them and the costs that involves. The other thing I hadn't realised is that they are quite reluctant to veneer your bottom teeth as they have more sensitivity issues - so they would need to be bleached anyway to match your veneers - if fact all of your teeth would need to be bleached to match the veneers unless you are going for a full set !

Original poster
MascaraOHara · 09/05/2008 12:04

10-15 years..?!? veneers are out then! Thanks for letting me know that

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Winetimeisfinetime · 09/05/2008 12:14

I went into the options of veneers a couple of years ago - saw 2 or 3 dentists including a bit of a celebrity dentist - Andrea Ubhi and ended up deciding it wasn't for me, not least because of the replacemnt issues. So I decided to have them bleached and got Invisalign braces for the straightening. So far I am pleased with my decision - they won't be perfect teeth but at least they'll be mine and all paid for !

BibiThree · 09/05/2008 12:26

Can anyone give an indication of how much invisalign ocsts?

MimieD · 09/05/2008 12:34

I use Janina whitening toothpaste and i definitely noticed a changed...depending on how creamy your teeth are it may be good enough for you.

Winetimeisfinetime · 09/05/2008 12:37

I got a couple of quotes and they were both about £2k an 'arch' - so that would be £4k for both upper and lower teeth to be done. So it is not cheap but I compared it to the lifetime cost of veneers and the fact that I could keep my own teeth and decided it was worth it.

Winetimeisfinetime · 09/05/2008 12:40

Sorry - I forgot to mention those costs are for the Invisalign braces. Costs will probably vary depending on how many trays are needed to straighten the teeth - but that is probably a realistic average.