Teeth whitening stuff.

[schro]

Hey Fellow SBGers.

Anyone ever use an over-the-counter whitening product (such as the Crest Whitening Strips)? If so, I'd love to hear your experience, both good & bad. I'm considering looking into this.

Maybe it was just the 3rd cup of coffee this morning, but my teeth are not as white as they could (or should) be.

Thanks,
Schro

[BillOnBass]

I'm no expert, but I imagine the more stained or darker your teeth are, you should buy a higher quality whitener. 

I used the base-model Crest White Strips (there are 3 different kinds) a couple years ago and noticed slight whitening over a few weeks, nothing spectacular.  I believe when it comes to these types of products you get what you pay for.  I'd go ahead and get some of the Crest White Strips Supreme or Premium.  They're close to $50, but they're supposed to work better and faster than the lower priced products in that line.  The more hydrogen peroxide, the better.

I recently lucked out and got some dentist-grade teeth whitener for an incredible price from my dentist.  Normally $500, I got a custom teeth mold for the teeth trays and 2 syringes of carbonate peroxide for $100 as part of an established patient appreciation deal.  It's been working pretty well over the past couple months and you don't have to use it everyday if you choose.

[MikeM]

I've used a variety of over-the-counter whitening products over the years, usually one course every six months or year. I'd say they get you to a certain level of whiteness, but if you want even whiter, I think you'd have to have something done at the dentist. (I have no experience with that -- I'm OK with my current approach.) The very first time I ended up doing two courses, with fairly dramatic results. Now it's just maintenance.

Strips -- The big minus is that they sometimes don't cover all the way to your back teeth, so if you have a very wide smile, you can see a color difference between the front and side/back teeth. Otherwise, they're pretty convenient.

Trays -- I personally find the trays (whether pre-filled or not) to be a royal pain to use. Plus they get more whitening goo on your gums, which can sting.

Do the whitening treatment *before* brushing your teeth. Don't eat anything that abrades your gums that day -- potato chips, popcorn, etc. If your gums are in the least bit irritated, you'll be in for a half hour of stinging, which can get unpleasant.

Don't obsess. Don't do too many courses. Supposedly it is possible to bleach away all the color through constant use.

[Sgt. Pate]

The Crest strips did absolutely nothing for me. 

[schro]

That kinda seals it for me.
Next trip to the dentist, I'm going to but this on my "to do" list.
My teeth are in great shape (healthy, disease free, all present & accounted for), just not as white as they could be.

Thanks guys.

[-Doug-]

The Crest strips cause my teeth to hurt for a few hours after each use. I ended up having to stop using them.

[BaldnBearded]

Over the counter whitening systems DO work,but there are a few variables that make them not as effective as the ones used in a dental office.The strips aren't custom fitted to your teeth as whitening trays made in the dental office are.Everyone's tooth anatomy and sapcing is different,so unless you have very straight teeth,its hard to keep the strips on the anteriro surface of your teeth,as opposed to whitening trays which are fitted to each indivuals mouth.Whitening strips also do not have as high a concentration of carbamide peroxide in them, which will in result take more applications to get results as with a lighter concentration, less oxidation is occuring within the enamel of your teeth.You also don't want to bleach molars.Typically you bleach pre-molar to pre-molar as those are the teeth seen in your smile line.As for staining, if you bleach your teeth, do not eat or drink for at least a half hour after, and dont eat or drink anything that will stain for a while after as the pores in your teeth are open and more suseptable to staining even further.Frequent Cofee,tea and red wine drinkers will find they have a harder time getting great results.hope i helped, dental is my forte afterall lol

[Arnie]

I've heard those teeth whitening statios that are popping up in malls now are fairly effective...

I need to work on the teeth straightening stuff before I go hard core into something like that...