Has anyone got any advice on teeth whitening? I'm not saying I've got brown stumps for teeth, but wouldn't mind them being a few shades lighter. Don't really want to pay hundreds to get mine and h2b teeth done. Just wondered if anyone has got any experience of using the DIY kits and are there any good ones. Because they seem to be quite pricey. £25 is fine for a treatment if it works but it's a bit of a gamble that it will.
3 months to go. So not got long!!!
Thanks
Victoria xxx

Hi,just thought I'd give my advice on this,I've been a dental nurse for 21 years and I wouldnt advise any type of teeth whitening,imagine when you lighten your hair you have to use a type of bleaching agent it is the same for lightening teeth,it strips the enamal surface which never comes back,this takes up stains more easy so altho to start with they look alot whiter they will take up tea,coffee,red wine and nicotine stains much more easy,but the worst thing is if the enamal is stripped of the tooth it can cause really bad sensitivity of course the dentist arent going to tell you all this as it is a very good money maker for them,whiten the patients teeth then it stains even more so they come back again for another treatment another £200+ in their pocket....sorry to put a dampner on this but just thought you may need to know of potential dangers xx

pearl drops toothpaste,iv noticed a difference already

has anyone read about that american woman who was using 2 different types of high street whitening products together? was all over the internet a couple of months back. if it works, id try it but isnt that just harming your teeth twice as much?!

I wish i could white mine :(

My teeth are all crowns (well those you can see) after I was run over aged 9 so im stuck with the colour they are I guess. No way can i afford to get them all recapped!!!

Thank you LJO for your advice, as i was going to get mine whitened!!! i think they will just do as the are, which will be fine x

Just out of interest Ginge did you Dentist discuss with you any potential dangers? Also are you having to pay privatly to have it done as I dont know many NHS practices that offer whitening,I'm not trying to put anyone off but in my experience alot of the time people arent told all the facts as its a very good money spinner for dentists....if you have got very discoloured teeth I think I would be inclined to speak to the dentist about veneers yes this is another expensive option but should last 5-10 years and if you added up the cost of whitening over the years it would prob work out more expensive in the end.Good luck with it anyway Ginge :-) x

Thats ok...I just think its unfair when ppl are charged alot of money and not told the facts, usually when you finish having orthodontic work you have a good scale and polish anyway to remove any adhesive etc :-) x

No they did not go over anything like that with me. Would it affect me really bad if i just do it from now till the wedding (May) my teeth are not to bad to be honest and I do not smoke but I love tea and curries lol. It is an NHS dentist I am with but pay for my treatment. xx

The only thing I would say is once you start your teeth may take up the stain more easier as the protective layer of enamel gets bleached I dont think in that short term you would do enough damage to cause sensitivity it also depends on the % of the bleaching agent in the product obviously the stronger the bleach the more likelyhood of the enamel being stripped quicker, it might just be worth asking your dentist before you start x

I swear by "Smokers Toothpowder". I don't really know how "good or bad" it is for your teeth, but I just whip it out once in a while and it works wonders especially with a sonic toothbrush! It's about £2 in the supermarkets, and comes in a little tub!

Smokers toothpowder is great for getting off surface stains and fine to use once or twice a week its works well because its slight abrasive leaves your teeth feeling really clean and smooth and sonic toothbrushes are fab :-) x

I had my teeth whitened and can tell you that it was the best thing I have ever done and my dentist was none the wiser so I don't think it has damaged them too much and he said my brushing technique was getting better lol obvs cause my teeth where whiter!! The girl that done my teeth whitening also provided me with a gel that I can use in the house and it's brillant I won't need to have laser whitening again well I don't think I will cause the gel works really well and I don't use it that often but the girl who done my teeth told me that without actually having your teeth lasered first the gels don't normally work don't know if that is true or not but I would reccommnd laser whitening to anyone interested. It's not sore.

Thank god for LJO!! H2b & I are thinking about getting our's whitened, I didn't even know there were dangers to be considered! Will get some of the powder and make a dentist appt closer to the date, thanks LJO :)

Thanks hun!

Lol, Erica I've got this vision of you with stained teeth and white brace marks now!!! Sorry, I'm sure you'll be fine though!! xx

LJO, Just to let you know, I never got a referral!! :( I actually bottled out of going to see my dentist for a referral, as when dp rang he got told the chances of me being referred were really slim as I was a lot older than 18, but then someone else he spoke to said I could possibly get a referral, but my dentist would have to think my teeth were really bad...although I think they're terrible, I don't think my dentist would refer me for treatment. :( x

There's a deal on one of the deal sites in Scotland selling tooth whitening today and I'm really tempted to go for it. I was thinking of going to that particular dentist for it anyway, so it's a lot cheaper this way. I'll pop the direct link if anyone in Edinburgh or Perth is interested as they're apparently very respectable cosmetic dentists.

I've been using baking soda toothpaste but it seems to burn my mouth.

I've switched to other whitening toothpaste. I think I'm just a little self-conscious about my teeth because they're slightly yellower than I'd like, but I don't think they're horrendously stained.

We use the arm and hammer one which makes ours a bit better!
h2b uses...wait for it...unscented soap once a week.He literally presses the bristles onto the soap so u can leave a bristle shaped mark on it. So I tried it. Its very strange and the texture is all wrong in many ways. Obviously u don't swallow at all but it seemed to lift the plaque away easier! Anyways my mouth felt very clean afterwards lol! Plus my teeth were shiny. Not sure if this is dangerous at all so I accept no responsibility for people foaming at the mouth!! :0D
He does have very white teeth tho!

i had a diy kit around 5 years ago and it didnt work well... saying that though i found it awkward so didnt 100% follow instructions so make sure you can be committed even if it is really uncomfy x

bump

Im getting my teeth whitened for the wedding (and i want h2b to have his done too). Im also getting 2 replacement teeth as i currently have gaps (at the side but you can still see one of them when i smile , didnt look after my teeth as a kid and have suffered as an adult, worse as i have a very sweet tooth).
Can anyone recommend anything? whether to have laser or the gum shield and bleach? My mum is taking me to have mine done but im not sure what the best and cheapest way to do it is. xxx

baking soda works welll... not sure if its harmful to the teeth or not, and it doesnt taste nice... but ive noticed a difference