Advice on Teeth Whitening Discussion Thread

George_Bray

joewa wrote: »

hi
I was on 23% carbamide peroxide but this did not work and i now have 9% hydrogen peroxide from my dentist and i were it for 30 mins

So dentists do use hydrogen peroxide, then, and let you go home with it, which tends to make the scare stories all the more surprising.

Toothsmith

I'm not sure what joewa is talking about.

I've never needed to use more than 15% Carbamine Peroxide.

But the key thing is - it is a dentist doing it, so even if the patient hasn't got a full grasp of what's going on, at least it's supervised by someone who has.

And who can be held to account if something bad does happen.

Mutter_2

Haven't read 62 pages, but Crest Premium Whitestrips are brilliant. Two strips of clingfilm worn for 30 mins each. When showering for instance.

Purchased across the counter in USA and their FDA are far stricter than our regulations.

We are so lacking behind in the UK. 25 years ago I enquired with my dentist as to whitening.

He was horrified. Oh the EU this and that, poison, damage etc. Guess who now is the local whitening centre?

He was also the dentist who ignored my concern that my teeth were moving. Not all dentists are good.

Don't though be drawn in to the ads you see at the side of sites inviting you to send for for some free samples. It is a scam and they will gain entry to your bank account.
More details on the scammers thread here on MSE.

George_Bray

Toothsmith wrote: »

I'm not sure what joewa is talking about.

I've never needed to use more than 15% Carbamine Peroxide.

But the key thing is - it is a dentist doing it, so even if the patient hasn't got a full grasp of what's going on, at least it's supervised by someone who has.

And who can be held to account if something bad does happen.

I must admit, after I wrote my previous post, I wondered if joewa's dentist really does use hydrogen peroxide. Whatever the dentists use, though, it's a lot of money to pay them, when most of the time you are left to your own devices at home. If any of the compounds are really that dangerous, you surely wouldn't be allowed to take them home for DIY application. I suggest that I'm not doing much different, and probably take more care than most people. All I'm missing out on is an initial assessment but I guess 99% of people get the same green light.

roddydogs

welshdent wrote: »

Not directly related to you .... but to get whitening off a 3% bottle of "mouthwash" .... (tesco bleach is 5% and I wouldnt gargle with that). you would need to hold it in your mouth uninterupted and in contact with teeth for a few hours a tome for a few days. Anyone prepared to do that and is able to switch off saliva flow that long ... well the deserve white teeth for persistence! I usually recommend a MINMUM of 1 hour wearing home trays daily for a fortnight. Personally when I Do mine i leave it in for the evening. The advantage of the gel is it is a convenient form for use and only contacts the area it needs to contact.

I already said it was impossible to keep on you teeth, my point being that its "Better than nothing" in the same way that whitening toothpaste is "Better than nothing"

brook2jack

No its not better than nothing. Doing nothing will not damage your teeth and gums.
Even whitening toothpastes regularly cause damage to teeth because of enamel wear.

Having discoloured teeth is not a health problem if you cant afford professional help/advice dont do anything DIY.

As to the number of people turned down for tooth whitening ... in my practice I turn down far more people than I treat as I can see whitening could damage them or make problems for them or simply not give them the result they would like.

welshdent

I second brooks comments. I turn down a lot more than I accept. Dentistry isnt like going to tesco. You cant have "what you want" just because you say you want it. We can best advise what dental problems you have and we can advise how they can be managed - that isnt always the same as having what you fancy. So in the same vein ... sometimes people just cant have whitening

joewa

Hi, i can assure you it is definitely 9 % hydrogen peroxide, you are supposed to use it in the dental surgery but seeing as i had used it a few times my dentist is happy for me to use at home

George_Bray

joewa wrote: »

Hi, i can assure you it is definitely 9 % hydrogen peroxide, you are supposed to use it in the dental surgery but seeing as i had used it a few times my dentist is happy for me to use at home

This is real breakthrough information, thank you. Could you post a photo here of the bottle? I'll move up to 9% now.

joewa

its syringes.I am doing it through my dentist M8