How does everyone have such white teeth these days?

[QuimReaper]

In the past I've had my teeth professionally whitened by a very expensive dentist with those trays and goo you get, but even then I don't think they were really noticeably white. How does everyone do it? I know people always say 'Crest White Strips' but in this country they still cost an absolute fortune, is everyone secretly using white strips every day like (I am led to believe by American TV shows) Americans do?

I know for a fact these people are tea and coffee drinkers, in some case also smokers, and I'm pretty sure my own tea/coffee habit is average for a British adult, possibly less (about 3 cups a day). My dental hygiene is excellent.

How do they do it?

Coincidentally I’ve just been watching The One Show. Rylan Clarke’s teeth look ridiculous. They’re so white you could spot them from outer space! It’s not a good look.

I'm not convinced it's the bonding... I'm in the middle of getting a veneer for a front tooth and I've had temporary bonding while I wait... and it has stained terribly. I am a fan of crest whitening strips though!

@QuimReaper
"Interesting Natalia - what prompted the thread was that I impulse-bought some stuff called 'Smile' which is supposed to be a stain-removing powder and have just got to the end of it. I didn't notice a massive difference but I didn't remember to use it very frequently. It did make me wonder if there's a product everyone else is using. It was advertised as being completely safe for your enamel and I didn't notice any problems, with my weak enamel I'm very anxious about causing irreversible damage."

I also 'fell' for their Facebook advertising and haven't really noticed too much of a difference however at my recent dental check-up my dentist commented on the lovely colour of my teeth and asked if it was natural.

I’d also like to know the answer to this! Everyone seems to have lovely teeth. Meanwhile my dentist tells me there’s nothing he can do to make my teeth whiter and refuses to repair a chipped front tooth because he says “it won’t last, there’s not enough surface area for the composite to stick to”.

For actual staining, the white glo toothpaste (use the brush it comes with and get the original not the charcoal) is great
It doesn't whiten but it does remove staining, I use it then swap back to normal toothpaste

I am really interested in this too. I am in my late 40s and due to genetics and poor tooth enamel (according to my dentist) my teeth are nowhere near white.

My dentist says that my teeth are a normal healthy colour but they look terrible to me! I have thought about buying a new electric tooth brush so might research that.

@needmetime I have a tooth which has composite bonding too, and a) they matched it to the colour of my teeth (hence getting them whitened first per my pp!) and b) I found it stained too! Not terribly but I could see the join. So whilst it may account for the nice straight look, I don't know that it accounts for the whiteness.

I need a new electric toothbrush, I may splurge on that sonic one!

I have very nice white teeth now- this time last year they were suffering as I drink red wine and black coffee.

Bought two boxes of these and used them every day for a month, an hour a time. I put them in when I left the office and wore them for my commute home, then took them out before dinner. Easy peasy. Since then I have a box that I keep in my drawer, use them approx one weekend a month to keep my smile white, but they worked a treat!

Already had naturally straight teeth so can’t comment on that, but I do know of a few people using Invisalign.

KAV PLUS 28 Professional Advanced Teeth WHITENING Strips Home Tooth Bleaching White Strips.
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015E1Q5IU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_0G7C7J5M53PZ8PM9HCDG?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I credit my water flosser with keeping my teeth white. Always a bit wary of whitening toothpaste. I was told it removed enamel and made teeth more prone to staining.

@ginevere Are these like the crest white strips? I used the crest ones, but I have really sensible teeth and it was agony for about 12 hours afterwards. I used to have to do it before bed, then takes some painkillers and by the time I woke up, it was just about bearable.

But I'd be very interested if there is something similar that works, but is a less painful experience!

@SnoozyBoozy assume your teeth are sensitive, not sensible

They are similar yes, sheets of gel that you stick on. I have quite sensitive teeth and didn’t have any issues with these. I have linked the Amazon ones as they are the ones I bought originally that first turned my teeth white, but since then I buy my backup boxes on eBay for a fiver so could be worth trying those instead as a bit cheaper? To see if they work with your teeth? Just check the box is the same.

Try 'oil pulling' with coconut oil. Google it! It really works.

@SteveyFluff I've had a small chip repaired on my front tooth and it's lasted for over five years, not sure what your dentist is on about!

@givememarmite They are that good. My whole family uses them and everyone’s teeth looks great. Also gave my husband one for Christmas and I’ve watched his teeth get whiter! It’s takes a month or so, but don’t give up! You’ll also get addicted to the feeling of very clean teeth.

I asked my dentist about veneers on my front teeth a few years ago, and she said absolutely no way. She actually showed me the “whiteness chart” thing they use for matching crowns etc, against my own teeth in a mirror and I was surprised to see they were actually very white! She said we are so used to fake smiles that people have lost sight of normal teeth. I had an airflow polish to remove stains and they looked good as new.

@Ginevere Thank you, I've ordered some - at that price, it's worth giving them a whirl! How long after using them did you eat / drink anything coloured? I always worry about whitening making teeth porous, so staining can be worse if you don't give up tea and coffee whilst you're doing them. (If I could do that I probably wouldn't have this problem in the first place! )

I rinse wth this...same base as the teeth whitening products

https://lirpharmacy.com/products/hydrogen-peroxide-250ml?variant=36046309654690&currency=EUR&utmmedium=producttsync&utmsource=google&utmmcontent=sagorganic&utmmcampaign=sagorganic&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyN-DBhCDARIsAFOELTm95GCanm5NHPpmfjkUbBNS0PCknJgMn54XMvPAj422RPgerYjKAlAaAvLUEALw_wcB

Thanks @TTCAbroad sounds great! I'm going to order one now 👍🏼

[quote SnoozyBoozy]@ginevere Are these like the crest white strips? I used the crest ones, but I have really sensible teeth and it was agony for about 12 hours afterwards. I used to have to do it before bed, then takes some painkillers and by the time I woke up, it was just about bearable.

But I'd be very interested if there is something similar that works, but is a less painful experience![/quote]
Have you trued the Crest 'gentle routine' strips?

My husband couldn't tolerate the gel he got from the dentist, but these worked really well for him.

@QuimReaper that’s what I figured when I first tried them, why not at that price? They were recommended by a girl I met at a hen do after I commented on her lovely white teeth, she said she maintains one weekend a month so I blindly followed her lead!

I can’t say I really considered eating coloured foods after. I used them from 5-6pm, then got home and made dinner, so by default I wasn’t having coffee after using. I would have been drinking red wine on a Friday though, never really considered it! I was having dinner right after though with no issues.

When I first started using them, my teeth had lots of little white spots in them, but as I persevered and used it every day this faded as the rest of the tooth caught up. That’s the only issue I remember having. So just be consistent, make sure you do it every day for the whole month. That’s what worked for me! Oh, and make sure you dry your teeth really well so they stick properly!

I have good teeth according to my dentist, no fillings or anything, but they are yellow - they always have been. My dentist says that like skin tone people have natural variations in tooth colour and someone with naturally yellow teeth will never get a bright white smile from tooth whitening or strips etc - they would need veneers.

[quote Ginevere]@SnoozyBoozy assume your teeth are sensitive, not sensible

They are similar yes, sheets of gel that you stick on. I have quite sensitive teeth and didn’t have any issues with these. I have linked the Amazon ones as they are the ones I bought originally that first turned my teeth white, but since then I buy my backup boxes on eBay for a fiver so could be worth trying those instead as a bit cheaper? To see if they work with your teeth? Just check the box is the same.[/quote]
I'll have you know my teeth really are rather sensible...

Ive had either a brain wave or a brain fart; I'm about to find out.

I want to whiten teeth without the ££££ - so I've bought one of those plastic lip guards that pull your lips away from your mouth. Then I've gone and bought 3 sryinges of 35% gel that you have on your teeth for 30 mins a time (£50). Your suppose to put the gel into trays, but instead I'm going to paint it on my teeth - with a steady hand and a little brush.

I reckon I'll have to be careful I don't get patches, so I'm planning on splitting the 30 mins time into 10 mins for 3 days.

I can handle childbirth (I'm such a liar) but dental nerve pain scares the hell out of me, so I'm thinking this will help me to manage sensitive teeth

I'll let you know how I get on with before after shots.

Here's to Pearly whites!

Composite bonding is the big thing, especially if people can’t or don’t want to use whitening products. Professional Instagram-ers use filtering apps to make their appearance seem better, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s one to make teeth whiter!