£75 reduction in the cost of Britesmile Whitening

amacken

Hi there,


On the topic of Tooth whitening, last year in the states i discovered a range of products that whitened my teeth!

None of which are available here......

Is this the same sort of stuff advertised on the UK Ebay ? If so I might consider ordering one for a tryout

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1277&item=5510028166&rd=1

Vanessa

After a couple of hours looking at internet photos of tetracyline teeth, decided mine aren't that bad! And yes they are all mine!

System

Can you use whitening gels etc. if you've had fixed braces glued to your teeth? I had train tracks for 2 years when I was younger (no they're still not straight!) and don't know if the glue used would affect whitening. They were removed about 8 years ago and I think all the glue taken off. Can I still have dazzling white crooked teeth? Thanks.

Kirsty ???

JasJasJas

What about final results after fading back? I have heard a lot about the final colour being significantly darker than you started with.....

System

Jasjasjas, teeth would darken slightly over time after whitening but probably no more than they would if they had never been treated. They certainly would never be darker than they started out.

Vanessa

RT, I don't think you can have both probably and certainly in your reply! Which one is it?

Also, if the treatment damages your enamel, more of your dentine, which is the stuff underneath and is a darker colour, will show through!

System

Vanessa, sorry I don't think I made my reply very clear. The 'probably' and 'certainly' refer to different events. Teeth normally darken with time, regardless of whether they have been whitened. Whitening treatments will reverse this process but will not prevent the teeth darkening in the future. It is extremely unlikely that teeth that have been whitened will end up darker than they would have been had they not been treated. The damage to the enamel that you referred to is very minimal (4 weeks of nightguard whitening is thought to be equivalent to drinking one can of coke.) Abrasive cleaning techniques (such as smokers toothpastes and some 'whitening' toothpastes), which polish the surface of the teeth to remove surface stains do cause enamel loss and in extreme cases this could result in darkening of the teeth because, as you say, the underlying dentine is darker and could show through the thinned enamel. This is not the same as the whitening procedures discussed above which whiten the enamel AND the dentine without removing tooth structure. Hope this clears up the confusion.

F1F1

After spending 3 months in Ft Lauderdale last year, living with yanks i discovered the art of home whitening kits! I'd tried stufff from Boots before and it never made a difference...HOWEVER since the Tooth Whitening market in USA is huge, its much cheaper than over here!

I paid $15 for "Crest White Strips" and $9 for Colgate Whitening Gel, and believe me my teeh were white!

Hi Jayne,

Been to Ft Lauderdale on holiday <the rest part after Orlando!>, very nice. Re the whitestrips and the gel, do you use both together or would the whitestrips be enough?

Chigley_2

The damage to the enamel that you referred to is very minimal (4 weeks of nightguard whitening is thought to be equivalent to drinking one can of coke.)

Sorry to be mistrustful - but is that comparison evidence-based? I'm not a dentist but surely there must be some long term weakening/damage of your teeth from having prolonged (overnight) contact with hydrogen peroxide?!?

I only have anecdotal evidence from a friend of mine who - is not a dentist but - sells teeth whitening products at exhibitions etc and he said that professional dental opinion was divided on the long term implications. As a cynic you could argue any product/activity that has potential long term negative implications for dental health has potential long term positive implications for dentists' revenue.

Vanessa

Abrasive cleaning techniques (such as smokers toothpastes and some 'whitening' toothpastes), which polish the surface of the teeth to remove surface stains do cause enamel loss and in extreme cases this could result in darkening of the teeth because, as you say, the underlying dentine is darker and could show through the thinned enamel.  This is not the same as the whitening procedures discussed above which whiten the enamel AND the dentine without removing tooth structure.

RT, apologies and thanks for the explanation. On second reading, yes, I can see you can have both probably and certainly. But now you have both certainly and extremely unlikely?

How exactly do the whitening procedures whiten enamel AND the dentine without removing tooth structure? Are you saying that these whitening procedures don't remove surface stains, but change the colour of enamel and dentine, or both? Surely, the bleaching must be doing something to the structure of your teeth, if it is to have an effect?

Also if all of your enamel is in place, how does the bleaching solution reach your dentine? If it soaks through, it must do some damage, even if very limited.

I'm afraid I'm not convinced. Perhaps I should start drinking my cappuccinos with a straw!