Teeth whitening; Have you done it?

[PrincessSparkle86]

I'd like to have my teeth whitened but i hate dentists... What's the best way to have it done? ive seen you can get home gel kits, i don't know if theyre safe or not?! help...

Hi Princess!

I have one of those home whitening kits with gel & a UV light. At first I thought it was fab, teeth were noticably whiter immediately. But, after using it for a while, I noticed my teeth were much more sensitive.

I can't eat icecream, drink anything straight from the fridge or anything with ice in.

For me, I don't think I would do it again but maybe the kit I had was too harsh?

Hey hurricane I was wondering if maybe it might be too strong. I've seen them online and nearly ordered one but restrained myself for now! I really dont want to pay hundreds to get it done, thats for sure!! x

If your teeth are sensitive it will hurt like crazy

oh dear, i think my teeth can be sensitive, they're not extremely so.

Mine were never sensitive before, I used to crunch ice cubes.

Not anymore...

It isn't something that you do once and it lasts forever, it will have to be repeated in order to maintain the effect.

It could damage the enamel layer of your teeth, making them look crystaline not translucent.

Ask yourself if you would be happy with a mouth full of Domestos gel.

I've had really good results with Crest Whitestrips here.

The first few times I used them I did suffer from sensitivity, but it was temporary and worth it for the very good results.

Now I use a strip for 10 mins once a fortnight to maintain whiteness and have no issues.

If you are going to do it you need to go to a dentist. You should see a hygienist for a scale and polish first as you cannot whiten over stains and calculus. Then you need to have impressions taken and trays made to fit your teeth. It's the only safe and legal way to effectively whiten teeth.

It hurts. Both during and after but the pain does wear off after a week or so. I have custom trays from my dentist and use to get refills for them after every cleaning but tbh the white strips are so good now, I use those instead as they provide better coverage, imo. My advice is to just not freak out about the pain...you can pop a couple of Tylenol if it's really bad (mine kept me awake at night for the first few days) but it does get better.

used to

For those who had a problem with sensitivity did you try any of the pro-enamel tooth pastes afterwards?

I didn't think to Casmama but will get some. Hadn't even thought of it

I did what AKiss described and it was excellent - didn't get any sensitivity and worked very well - one of the best beauty type things you can do imho - made me look loads better

I did it through the dentist and it was expensive (£200 plus) but worth it for me. They do an impression of your teeth which is the only yukky bit. My teeth were slightly sensitive the first once or twice. Sensodyne toothpaste helped.

Crest Whitestrips are good
But don't do anything with mega peroxide in it if not at the dentist. And anything you can buy at the chemist here won't work.
Worth spending the money to get it done once and properly. I had mine lasered and they are great.

Thanks everyone for your feedback, i defo wont be doing anything which will damage my teeth as i don't want perfect whites at that cost!

Perhaps when i pluck up the courage to go for a clean ill ask how much it'll cost :S It's not like my teeth are majorly discolored or anything as i'm a non smoker and don't drink coffee or anything, just would like my teeth to look a bit fresher!

Crest whitestrips are fab and I use pro enamel toothpaste, which defo helps with sensitivity.