Come and tell me about teeth whitening

[ODearMe]

Hello

I have been considering getting my teeth whitened as my teeth seem to be more noticeably yellower these days. If any of you have done this, can you tell me:

1. Are there different methods?
2. How much can I expect to pay? (UK)
3. How long does it last?
4. Have you been left with any disturbing side effects eg green teeth, ultra sensitive teeth?

I will wait to hear from you!

Thanks!

Whatever you do, do not, I repeat, do not do the baking soda, hydrogen peroxide & toothpaste mix (home made recipe available online) it burns your gum till they are white and bleeding.

Just saying

I don't think many would approve of my method, but I rinse my mouth with 3% hydrogen peroxide, I buy it from Amazon.

Though I've never smoked, drank red wine, and always brushed my teeth twice a day I've had yellow teeth as long as I can remember. Laser whitening did practically nothing, and 20% whitening gel in moulded dental trays didn't do much either, I could only eat pale coloured food for a week and my teeth felt bruised.

On American forums I kept reading about how people who couldn't afford expensive treatments used hydrogen peroxide instead. The only thing to remember is that you don't swallow it and rinse with water after.

If I could afford it I would have veneers, but I can't!

FerrisBueller I like that idea of mixing hp and baking soda! I could actually brush my teeth instead of just mouthwashing. I might give that a try (I'll avoid my gumline though.)

Go to your dentist & get them to make the proper plastic trays that are the exact fit for your teeth, to be used with the bleaching gel they will provide.

Yes your teeth will be a bit sensitive afterwards - no pain, no gain. But the results can be amazing. I've been doing mine since 1997, I was one of my local dentist's first whitening guinea pigs.

I had naturally yellow teeth & so do my dc. They both had the treatment when they were 17/18 - no regrets at all and nice white teeth.

About £375 round here.

I think you would be nuts to use hydrogen peroxide or baking powder at home. Your teeth could end up looking a hell of a lot worse. There is a reason why effective whitening treatments are only supposed to be carried out by dentists.

I had the gel-in-trays thing from my dentist. It worked quite well on my teeth, which were yellow from years of coffee and tea (and smoking, pre-kids). They're not brilliantly white now, but they are a LOT better than they were, and I'm sure they would be whiter still if I had followed the guidelines about only eating and drinking pale foods during treatment (I still drank one cup of tea and one of coffee per day and didn't really change my eating habits )

It did cause sensitivity. Mostly quite low-level, just a constant hint of niggly soreness with the occasional alarming throb of pain. But this all disappeared within 24 hours of stopping treatment, and has been fine since.

It's worth doing for the £300 or so it generally costs. Mine was included in the prices of my braces treatment.

Hydrogen peroxide is the active ingredient in whitening treatments. And 3% is food-grade, a low concentration. It is gradually whitening my teeth, and they are nice and shiny. But you have to keep your tongue out of the way, it can affect the tastebuds and lead to 'furry tongue' in extreme cases!

As a much less extreme example, I have been using Colgate Max One White toothpaste and mouthwash for about a month and have noticed quite a difference. Teeth aren't super-white but do look lighter and brighter.

Has anyone experiences a sore bright red tongue after using Colgate Max White?