Teeth whitening advice

[Purplecarpet]

I've never had white teeth but lately i have become very self conscious about the colour of my teeth, which are becoming more yellow/discoloured as I get older.
I am scared to have teeth whitening done at the dentist as I am worried about sensitivity and subsequent damage due to bleaching. My teeth are a little bit sensitive but not too bad, and also the cost at the dentist is quite prohibitive so I am looking at alternatives. I'm not expecting to have brilliant white teeth, but a few shades lighter would be good. I drink maybe 2 cups of tea or coffee a day (with milk) and I'm willing to stop that completely if it would help, and I don't drink red wine. So I am looking for suggestions.
I have seen some whitening strips in Boots (their own brand) which do not contain peroxide, so was thinking of trying them and I've also read about oil pulling, which may be a total load of bollocks but I'm willing to give that a go if it might help.

Has anyone had success and can give me any tips.

I don't have any advice but I am interested in this. However I suspect this subject has been covered many times before hence the lack of replies.
Hope someone comes along to help you soon.

Weeeelll I use tumeric twice a week. It doesn't taste of much and you just wet your toothbrush and dip it in and brush for two minutes. It really works!

If you're more hardcore you could mix it with coconut oil and leave on for five minutes but it's difficult to use and tastes awful.

I use the Crest whitening strips. They are on sale in many countries but not the UK. You can buy them from the internet though.
I found out about them from my sister who travels to US a lot. She's used them for years and they do work.
I get the ones which you leave in or half an hour for 7 days and use them about 3 times a year.

I'd also advice getting a through clean at the hygienist first. You won't get your teeth white if you've got a film of plaque on them.

I'm worried about the sensitivity issues too. Tbh I'd rather have yellow teeth than to have pain from damage. I've also looked at the Boots whitening strips but if they've got no peroxide in them how do they work? I'm tempted to give them a try.
Dd's friend recommended oil pulling to her and she's a dental nurse. I just don't know what to think but I know for sure that if I ask my dentist he will say don't use diy kits.

Airflow treatment at your dentists. It's basically bicarbonate of soda plus high pressure jet washing. My usual dentist offers it privately for £60 and it works for me and is definitely much more effective than a hygienist which still costs me £45. I refuse to give up coffee/tea or red wine so I use this every 6 mths.

Obviously, no bleaching or Hollywood whiteness but it's a definite improvement. It's not altogether painless since my dentist does the usual scraping alongside (like the normal scale and polish) but with jet pressure water and for a good 30 mins as opposed to the few minutes you get normally.

I've spoken to my dentist and told her I'm scared to have my teeth whitened. she says the stuff you can get over the counter in the uk is a waste of time as it hasn't got enough peroxide in it to make any difference. She didn't say it would damage your teeth, just that it's a waste of money. She reassured me about teeth whitening that they do at the dentist, she even does her own teeth now and again, so I am seriously considering it. Meanwhile, I got the strips from boots as they were on offer so I'm doing that for now. May do nothing but I'll try.

Seriously, tumeric. Instant results.

retpally - maybe a stoopid question here but, how much - I suppose 5p piece amount?

Please don't buy the crest whitening strips. They are banned in the U.K. due to the high levels of bleach they contain.

Crest strips gave me terrible sensitivity. I swear by Doctor George's whitening. Work instantly with a 30 minute application so if you do the full course everyday for 2 weeks I imagine it would give very very good results. Agree with PP about going to a hygienist first though, otherwise you can end up with yellow bits where your teeth meet.

The idea of turmeric for teeth whitening seems counterintuitive??? I eat lots of turmeric and it stains my white dishes bright yellow. ( and my pee neon green...) Does it really whiten your teeth????

I have tried lots of toothpastes, strips and home kits over the years, mostly making a negligible difference. However I have recently discovered Pearl Drops Specialist White toothpaste ( its normally £5-£6 but is on special offer in Boots at the moment. ) not the one with charcoal - haven't tried that.
It has made a quick and truly noticeable difference to the whiteness of my teeth and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
It tastes a bit bicarby and a bit chemical with a strong mint flavour but it does the job and is better than anything else I have tried.

Forwards just dunk a wet brush in to the bottle or on a plate. 5p amount would be enough.

And yeah it does whiten. Lots of stuff online about it and as I say I've tried it myself 🙂

Forget the Noots strips. You may as well put cellotape on your teeth for all the good they will do.

Don't bother with the more expensive kit available in Boots either.same non result as the cheaper ones.

My sister had laser treatment. She has a high pain threshold and I watched her cry on the sofa taking painkillers for 48 hours and wouldn't go near it. It did work though!

I've tried the dentist one that you so at home. It was very very expensive £150-20 PER TRAY and you need both top and bottom. After rubbing Sensodyne toothpaste on my teeth for a week first, I used it on my top teeth only (advised by dentist to do one row at a time) for a few days, and had to stop as my teeth couldn't handle it. Even writing this is making me remember the feeling I had of chewing dry cotton wool!

I am currently using a charcoal toothpaste from Holland & Barrett. It makes teeth APPEAR whiter but I won't repurchase it as it doesn't really whiten.

I currently have Crest advanced white strips. No difference so far but due to hyper sensitivity I am using every few days instead of every day so I expect the results will take longer to achieve.

• Boots not Noits!

Where do you purchase the crest white strips? let us know how you get on with them Theycalledme and if they work.

I had zoom laser treatment. No pain and my teeth are sensitive. Discussed with dentist beforehand
I got whitening trays to take home and I get a little sensitive with them, zing type pains but if I use sensodyne relief they go away immediately and it's only sensitive while the gel is in

Well just to report I thought I'd give the Boots whitening strips a go and have been using them for 12 days on top teeth only so I could compare. Absolutely no difference whatsoever! Total waste of money and as one poster said, you might as well put cellotape on your teeth!! Rubbish.

The only thing I've tried that works is Colgate Max Expert White. It has bleaching agents in it so I notice a difference when I use it.

I think if you have surface stains on your teeth, max white might work. My teeth are just old and yellow and probably only bleaching will sort them.