How do you whiten your teeth?

[bushymcbush]

My dd commented on my yellowing teeth the other day. I think they're really ageing. So - as far as I know the options are (in order of expense from cheapest to dearest):

1. Whitening toothpaste

1. Shop bought chemical whitening treatment

1. Laser whitening

1. Veneers

Which have you used and how effective / expensive was it?

Hi there
Honestly i would say the best way to lighten yellow teeth is professionally with overnight bleaching, If its surface staining however a hygienist can remove it and a whitening toothpaste can help. But the darkening/yellowing that seems to creep on as the years pass won't be changed by a toothpaste. A dentist can make trays that fit your teeth and provide the gel- generally £300/400+ quid though so its not cheap. I speak as a dentist and will always always recommend having this treatment done by a professional as your smile is the first thing people notice and your teeth are precious! God i know i sound virtuous but if you damage your teeth they are damaged forever! I have bleached my teeth and love the result- however it was uncomfortable and my teeth were v sensitive while i was doing it! Nice white smile now though...

I had laser whitening and now keep it topped up with one of the gel kits from superdrug. The downside to having your teeth whitened is I find them more susceptible to stains now so need to do the gel kit at least once a month.
The laser whitening was at a chain called smile and was £200. Me teeth were v v sensitive for about a fortnight after but fine after that.

I got some stuff from America called Doctor George's dental white. You're supposed to use it with a mould and let it sit on your teeth for about 20 mins but I find it makes my teeth too sensitive so I just use it like a toothpaste.

Fabulous stuff.

Crest Whitestrips. Legal in US but not in UK so you have to get them off t'internet.

Cheap (£40ish), no messing around with moulds and very very easy to use. And they work.

Do we know why the crest ones are illegal here? Do they cause damage or something?

I believe it's because they have too high a % of dental bleach in them. Our rules say dentists are allowed to use products over X% concentration of bleach but people at home aren't. The US are a bit less nanny state about it.

It is possible to cause irritation and burns with high % of dental bleach so I guess that is why the restriction is there but frankly if you follow the instructions properly you should be fine.

^ all this is just my opinion of course! I'm not a dentist so don't know for sure.

I got the moulds done and the whitening gel from my dentist for £99 (they had a deal on). My teeth were quite yellow, as used to smoke and am a big coffee drinker. The whitening thing was supposed to be done for 2 weeks every night, but it makes me gag and I could never keep it in all ight. The end result was disappointing.

I then discovered a gel you can buy over the counter or online with a higher percentage of bleach in it (22% rather than the 10% the dentist gave me). Perfectly safe, but not good for sensitive teeth. Its what Americans use. I use it for an hour about once a month and it makes my teeth much brighter.