Teeth whitening £450/500 at dentist - alternatives?

[DFOD]

She makes a mould and then gives you 2-3 tubes of some paste? Doesn’t seem a service in need of such expensive and long training and such a high fee - any other ways of doing this?

I use the Snow treatments twice a week at home. Definitely have had noticeable results.

I'm a retired dentist,
it is illegal for anyone to do tooth whitening apart from a dentist any beautician offering such treatment is guilty of the illegal practice of dentistry and trading standards would be very interested
Crest White strips though avaialble on internet do not comply with EU or UK standards and can't be sold here
25 % of patients experience too much sensitivity so they stop another 25% experience some temporary sensitivity if you have exposed roots it will be sore
there are very strict rules regarding % of hydrogen peroxide the amount allowed in cosmetics ie toothpaste is too low to work
custom made moulds are essential to stop the peroxide getting onto the gums which can give a chemical burn , mouth washing with hydrogen peroxide might work but it is stupid

Thank you for your input.

Do you mean that 25% try and don’t carry on with Crest Strips or the dentist system.

It seems a lot of money up front to find out you are too sensitive for it if it’s the dentist system.

Do you believe it damages enamel ? As my dentist who I rate highly says it doesn’t.

I had mine done at the dentist last year ! Amazing results and worth every penny! I wouldn't risk putting something unknown in my mouth or on my teeth .

I had mine done at the dentist and was so disappointed. My teeth hardly changed colour as they only used 6% hydrogen peroxide. The only benefit I got was the mould. Which I've since used, as I bought 14% gel online and now my teeth are very white

Agreed. They're very good and people have commented on my teeth even my dentist

Just ordered a custom mould from a company selling through amazon. £50 for both up and bottom jaw moulds - you take the impression, send it back, they send you the mould.

But it sounds like this is also true of the treatments that cost £500 from what other posters are saying.

@Gottoomuchgoingon Where do you get your white strips ? I've found them harder to find over the last few years.

I asked at my dentist recently. The choice was £200 for at home treatment or £400 for two hours in the chair. I'm in the midlands if that makes a difference.

You can go to labs direct if you have one locally (I was quoted £100 for taking impressions and making the trays) and source your gel separately.

Some do mail order custom trays with impressions kits that you take. You can have the trays made with reservoirs, that's around £50 they trade on eBay. They won't send you gel and you will have to say you won't use them without a dentist agreement. You can get your dentist to assess quote, perhaps they will even provide gel if you have trays already.

You can also order gel from Amazon.com that's stronger than is available here, but start low...

I went through the dentist and paid £500 or so and my teeth look brilliantly white. I’d only trust this method really beyond all the cheaper alternatives as I don’t want to damage my gums or teeth

Some random website. It's been a while since I ordered any. I only need them 3/4 times a year

Another user of Crest strips here. DH has a colleague bring them from the states for me.
I tend to put them on once a week for half an hour. I put my retainers on over the top to hold them in place, as I find the bottom strip can slip a bit

6% hydrogen peroxide is the legal maximum strength in UK and EU for dentists to use anything else is illegally imported . Doesn't mean you won't get away with it, but is it really wise to use something more than double the max strength. Yes they are legal in USA but so is chlorinated chicken and loads of food dyes and preservatives that are illegal here. Personally I wouldn't put a crest white strip in my mouth. Sensitivity can occur with either method but is more common if a history of sensitivity or exposed roots, The custom made trays are better as the tighter the fit the less gel you need and thelower theriskof excess squeezing out to damage gums or just be wasted If you can't tolerate ice in your mouth or bite into icecream don't even try whitening gel as you will probably find it too sore. Over whitening can damage enamel so can higher strength peroxide there is a reason higher strength doesn't have a license chalky white teeth are damaged when they say x number of shades lighter you need to know how many shades on the shade guide 10 shades lighter on a guide of a 100 is not much different to 3 shades on a 16 shades guide, the most common natural shade is A3, A2 for young people A3.5 for the elderly going from A3 TO A1 fine but you can't get from A4 or B4 to A1 easily or healthily

Mouth guards - the ones you put in hot water and mould to your own teeth. Plus White 5 minute white gel (get from EBay).
Pretty much the exact same thing as you get from a dentist. Will cost you under £20 in total.

Crest white strips are also brilliant and less messy.

You wont get anything over the counter strong enough to whiten teeth, the law changed many years ago to regulate whitening and over the counter is only allowed up to o.o1% now, too low to whiten (or to damage your teeth by misuse!). Dentists use a range between 3.00% and 14.00% which as you can see is a much higher level.

You need to ring around dentists. My old dentist offered teh Phillips Zoom system with moulds, the full kit and syringes, they would go on offer twice a year and would cost £160 discounted, was much more out of offer period. My current dentist offers a different system which is in chair whitenening then home course for around £500. Honestly, ring around for prices, you'll need a check up and hygeniest appointment before you can have whitening, and to be honest you'll need a hygeniest appointment regardless to make sure any products used are going onto enamel and no build up.

You can order stuff inmported from USA online, as it isn't regulated over there, but... it is illegal for these sites to sell it to the UK, so I would seriously be questioning the authenticity of these products and would be worried fakes could have any number of dangerous chemicals in. It is not worth the risk to the damage that can be done to your teeth and gums on a chance it 'may' be the real thing.

Where did you get the 14% please? I have the moulds but need new gel

Thanks

@justasmalltownmum yea they look lovely. My dentist is great and does lots of cosmetic work. I'm surprised people are being quoted twice the price!

Have you tried Pearl Drops whitening kit? It’s about £20 , gentle but good.

6% is top legal limit not 14%
the problem with illegal imports ( not just dental products but many medical products ) is that lots are fake in correct packaging and have untried products inside them
nobody can stop you but they are illegal for a good reason they are illegal on prescription too
6% will get a significant whitening maybe not papaer white but how much teeth will whiten depends on what shade you start from yellowish shades whiten better than greyish shades

Please can someone explain the difference in process, outcome and costs for the 3hr chair session vs home kits from the dentist that PP mentioned.

So I've had both
Zoom in chair whitening which is fast but you can get some zinger tooth pain and then took trays home with zoom gel to carry on the whitening. I believe the in chair dehydrates your teeth so they look whiter quicker
I've had the trays a few years now, and the gel is cheap from my dentist - I'm sure it's about £15 a tube or something

I've also had both. Don't think there was a huge price difference. I had Zoom whitening in the dentist. Took a few hours and they looked whiter straight away but soon faded and I definitely wouldn't get it done again. Made my teeth super sensitive too as it was one intense session.

I then had Enlighten teeth whitening, which I believe it was of the more popular ones that dentists use as it guarantees at least a B1 shade (natural white). This is one where you have moulds made, then two tubes of gels at different strengths to use over 2 weeks. There is also the option to then go for a final in-chair session if you so wish. I never did. Loved the results I got. Minimal sensitivity and the results have lasted well. You can still drink tea/coffee etc during the treatment time. Going to pick up some top-up gels from the dentist next week for the first time since having it done 2 years ago.

There are cheaper alternatives to Enlighten as well. My dentist offered Enlighten and also Boutique. A lot of the results are down to how well your teeth take to it, and also how diligent you are with wearing them overnight. I definitely skipped a day or two so my results could have been even brighter if I'd used them continuously with no gaps. I had not long taken my braces out though, so I was trying to wear my retainers every few nights, hence why I missed a few nights of whitening.

Whatever you go for, please go down the dentist route.