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Original poster

Teeth whitening gel recommendations.

26 replies

Imtoooldforallthis · 04/02/2022 15:40

I had Boutique whitening through my dentist which didn't work very well. As I have my trays does anyone have any recomdations on gels for me to try?

OP posts:
psuedocream3 · 04/02/2022 15:45

Nothing you can buy over the counter comes close to the strength a dentist can give. The law doesn't allow anything over 0.10% over the counter whereas the dentist will go up to 6.00%. If dental office whitening didn't work for you, they need to explain why you weren't a good candidate and what your options next are. It could be that your enamel is too thin and the discolouration is actually the inner tooth colour (dentin) which is yellow. They may say veneers is an option, but if your teeth are in good condition I don't think they recommend ruining them for vanity reasons.

Original poster
Imtoooldforallthis · 04/02/2022 15:58

Thank you for that, they gave me no explanation, I thought it may have been my enamel that was too thin but no mention was made of this and they said they had never had it happen before. This was from a well established dentist. I was always going to have 3 veneers replaced but after the tooth whitening.

OP posts:
RockaLock · 07/02/2022 17:45

Hello @Imtoooldforallthis

I got Boutique whitening gels form my dentist late last year, but I just couldn't tolerate wearing the trays overnight so never really used them.

I've just bought some Philips zoom gel to use with my trays - the weakest daytime formula, that you use for 30-90mins a day, for a couple of weeks.

I'll let you know how I get on. I think my enamel is pretty thin nonexistent too, so fingers crossed(!) I'm only a couple of days in so far.

Original poster
Imtoooldforallthis · 07/02/2022 18:24

@RockaLock

Hello *@Imtoooldforallthis*

I got Boutique whitening gels form my dentist late last year, but I just couldn't tolerate wearing the trays overnight so never really used them.

I've just bought some Philips zoom gel to use with my trays - the weakest daytime formula, that you use for 30-90mins a day, for a couple of weeks.

I'll let you know how I get on. I think my enamel is pretty thin nonexistent too, so fingers crossed(!) I'm only a couple of days in so far.

Thank you so much I'll wait for your update.
OP posts:
ritalinda · 07/02/2022 18:38

Philips zoom worked well for me 16%

LittleEsme · 07/02/2022 19:34

I'm also interested.
How much would this cost?

ritalinda · 07/02/2022 20:30

It's the moulds that cost the money, you can buy the gel online for about £40. Sometimes the chain dentists do a deal on whitening

RockaLock · 07/02/2022 20:55

Yes, I'd agree with that.

I got 3 tubes of the Philips zoom gel for about £45 online. But the trays (and a few tubes of gel) from the dentist were ££££.

You can get kits to mould some trays yourself, but they probably turn out a lot better when the dentist does them...

catfunk · 07/02/2022 20:57

I've used Phillips zoom (the daily 90min one so not the strongest) and i can see a difference.
I'd go back to your dentist and ask why it hasn't worked and if they would recommend a stronger one.

LittleEsme · 08/02/2022 05:53

What are the teeth moulds like? Are they something that I could effectively mould at home?

Ohchristmastreeohchristmastree · 08/02/2022 06:16

5 minute white by plus white. About £13 on eBay.

PandoraP · 08/02/2022 09:09

I am doing mine at the moment. Had the moulds done at the dentist who gave me the gel. The gel is really sticky and I don’t find it that easy to be honest.

Phyllis321 · 08/02/2022 09:17

I'm trying the Snow gel at the minute with a cheap UV light tray thing from Amazon. Snow has amazing reviews but we shall see...

RestingMurderousFace · 08/02/2022 09:37

I used to use Opalescence gels, had great results.

sageandbasil · 09/02/2022 14:04

Bleach refills have pola night which is what dental practices sell. I'm a dental nurse and me and all my work friends use it

JorisBonson · 09/02/2022 14:23

@Phyllis321

I'm trying the Snow gel at the minute with a cheap UV light tray thing from Amazon. Snow has amazing reviews but we shall see...
Same, I'm not doing it every day so not seeing results, which is entirely my own fault!
Needsomethingtoread · 09/02/2022 18:28

@sageandbasil

What’s the difference between poladay and polanight?

Lucimaya · 09/02/2022 18:50

You need Carbamide Peroxide 10%, anything stronger can make your teeth sensitive. That's what dentists use and your dental surgery including NHS will probably be able to sell some to you. Mine does, but likes to examine you first to make sure all is okay.

RockaLock · 13/02/2022 17:00

Hi OP,

Just thought I'd give some feedback on the Philips zoom gel.

I've been using their weakest strength, 6% hydrogen peroxide, every day for 90mins for just over a week.

I would say that I think my teeth look slightly brighter, but then again in some lights I think they look completely unchanged!

So not a resounding success so far. I wasn't expecting Hollywood whiteness, but I was hoping for a bit more of a result.

On the plus side, I have had absolutely no increase in sensitivity, so even though it's probably throwing good money after bad, I might get the next strength up and see if that works any better.

ritalinda · 13/02/2022 18:14

I have very sensitive teeth but use the 10 and 16% and it definitely works. Some sensitivity but short lived and you can put sensitive toothpaste on like a paste after use to help with that

Alex123455 · 02/03/2022 19:01

I got the boutique teeth whitening and trays from my dentist, paid £350 for it.
Overnight whitening.
Picked them up 2 days ago and my whitening trays make me gag so much I can’t bare to have them in my mouth.
As soon as my tongue touches the trays I heave and am nearly sick.
Im so upset after spending all that money on them. Can anybody help on this?

Original poster
Imtoooldforallthis · 02/03/2022 19:12

I struggled a little bit but not as bad as you, maybe try a few times without the gel and just lay down on the sofa and try relax, I did get used to it over time, or maybe alternate the top and bottom ones.

OP posts:
Alex123455 · 02/03/2022 19:43

Thank you for replying, yeah that’s what I’m hoping that I will get used to it over time.
I Havnt even tried it with the gel in yet. I can only handle the top ones in for about 30 seconds and the bottom ones for even less.
I will keep trying to pop them in during the day
X

RockaLock · 02/03/2022 20:50

Alex, I was exactly the same as you. Paid £££ for Boutique whitening in November, and couldn't cope at all with wearing the trays overnight. I just couldn't get used to them and didn't get any sleep the first night when I tried to wear them, and didn't try again because it was so awful.

But early this year I decided I wasn't going to be (entirely) defeated. I bought some different gels (Phillips zoom) that only have to be worn 60-90mins a day, so that I could wear them for a short period in the daytime instead of having to do them for hours overnight.

I have found that I can handle wearing the trays during the day without too much of a problem, and I'm (finally) starting to see some improvement in the colour of my teeth, although it has taken about 3 weeks so far (but I think possibly my enamel is just too thin for anything to make a huge difference).

So it might be worth persevering with trying to get used to them during the day. Find something to watch on TV to distract you! And then if you did find that you could cope with them for an hour or so, you could always look at getting different gels that need a shorter time to work. The gels aren't really that expensive on their own.

Good luck!

ritalinda · 02/03/2022 21:28

When you say trays what are they like? Mine were just like a plastic coating over the teeth, nothing extra, like wearing a very subtle mouth guard.

Agreed though I wear mine just for 60-90 mins during the day