Advice on Teeth Whitening Discussion Thread

brook2jack

If you smoke, drink a fair bit of tea,coffee , red wine etc White fillings will stain especially where they join the tooth. If the stain is superficial it can be polished off, if not then replacing it may be your only option but if you continue smoking etc then the stain will recur.

moneylover

Due to another thread where someone wrote about the zinging pain they suffered when having Zoom chairside treatment I have finally decided it is better for me to go down the tray route

I am 65 and my teeth are off the scale. This is not due to smoking, red wine, curries, endless coffeee and tea. The extent of my 'sin' is probably beetroot .....

Dentist says I am completely suitable with healthy teeth but will obviously not end up with a dazzling white smile. His charge is £375 then £12 for extra top ups.


Anyway, am thinking about it and realise I have a few questions which our resident dentists should easily answer:

For my £375 how many days will the treatment last?
Is it a case of the longer I continue the better the effect or is there a point reached where there is no longer any improvement? If so, how long after starting treatment does this usually occur? How will I know?
With trays do you get any follow up?
How many shades does the average person achieve?
I believe the dentist said that the bleach is now 22% and that you only need the trays in one hour a day but it may be that the receptionist told me that...
How comfortable are the trays especially if you have some promintent and uneven teeth and are they difficult to get in and out ?(I remember the horror of my braces nearly 60 years ago..)
Lastly, is it just smile line that is done or all teeth?

I guess this is like a set of faqs that can, to an extent, be answered only with an "it depends.." however any pointers would be helpful as I am a great believer in both knowing what to expect and what I am likely to get for my money!

Thank you.

coldstreamalways

Can I just ask why you didn't ask your dentist these questions?

moneylover

Yes you can
Becuase he had another appt waiting to come in and I didnt think of them
Secondly becuase I very much rate the dentists on here.
Thats not to say I wont have a further chat with my dentist before hedoes the job - if I give it to him
Does that answer your question satisfactorily?

Toothsmith

moneylover wrote: »

Anyway, am thinking about it and realise I have a few questions which our resident dentists should easily answer:

Nothing is easy without seeing you!

For my £375 how many days will the treatment last?

No Idea - that's one for your dentist

Is it a case of the longer I continue the better the effect or is there a point reached where there is no longer any improvement?

There will be a pont at which further improvement is impossible. No-one has ever finished up with see-through teeth!

If so, how long after starting treatment does this usually occur?

It Depends.

How will I know?

It won't seem to be working anymore.

With trays do you get any follow up?

I generally review my whitening patients at regular intervals throughout treatment. Your dentist isn't me though.
How many shades does the average person achieve?

There's no real point talking about 'average patients' the patient your concerned about is you. Your dentist should be able to give you a rough idea of what you can expect.

I believe the dentist said that the bleach is now 22% and that you only need the trays in one hour a day but it may be that the receptionist told me that...

I would make sure you're very clear on how long to wear them for.

How comfortable are the trays especially if you have some promintent and uneven teeth and are they difficult to get in and out ?(I remember the horror of my braces nearly 60 years ago..)

Most people have no trouble at all. They are very soft, and come in and out very easily, whilst staying in place very firmly when needed. They are also very thin.

Lastly, is it just smile line that is done or all teeth?

You would generally only do what shows.

I guess this is like a set of faqs that can, to an extent, be answered only with an "it depends.." however any pointers would be helpful as I am a great believer in both knowing what to expect and what I am likely to get for my money!

Thank you.

But as Coldstream said (Who is also a dentist) Fot £375 these are questions your dentist is being aid to answer.

Take this list in with you when you next go in (Lists are good because you will invariably forget something if you just try and remember). And make sure you have all the answers specific to you before you begin.

moneylover

thank you Toothsmith I will take the list to the receptionist and ask her to get the dentist to answer the questions since he told me to make an appoointment for trays if I want to go ahead - which is a bit late for questions really - maybe I could ask him to phone me, maybe that might be acceptable.

I appreciate that you cannot be specific so thank you for answering the questions you have been able to

One last question - is there, on balance, with many patients (not a specific one) generally less zingyness from the trays than the chairside treatment? I realise that I have rather presumed that there is but that may not be true. I am asking for average - not me!

brook2jack

The thing with trays is you can adjust the concentration of the solution and you can put desensitisers in the trays so for most people you can control sensitivity.

It is unlikely the dentist themselves will phone you back as most of the working day is spent either with fingers in someones mouth or trying to catch up in paperwork. But make sure before you start you know exactly what can or can't be achieved and all your questions are answered.

givememoney

Do the sonic toothbrushes do a better job of cleaning teeth than the rotating ones or even a hand brush.

Some I notice are in the £200 range, do they warrant that price?

Do they make teeth whiter?

moneylover

brook2jack wrote: »

The thing with trays is you can adjust the concentration of the solution and you can put desensitisers in the trays so for most people you can control sensitivity.

It is unlikely the dentist themselves will phone you back as most of the working day is spent either with fingers in someones mouth or trying to catch up in paperwork. But make sure before you start you know exactly what can or can't be achieved and all your questions are answered.

Brookjack, I know - really thats why I asked here, but a bit unfair I suppose to have done so. So how best can I get my list of questions answered? Its a shame I didnt have them ready at the time of my check up but asking whether I was suitable for treatment was a bit off the cuff. Presumably speaking to the receptionist is best I can hope for. I do need to know the total cost, if £375 is going to get me most of the way there for example thats fine, but I need to know if I have to budget for a lot more. Otherwise I am just wasting my money. Maybe the only other thing is to wait for my next check up but I only need to go once a year at the moment.

Marksteven

Yes i agree with this thread that not to use the bi-carb+toothpaste they are helpful for whitening but there are some bad effects on the mouth and buds. so we should avoid for this ..
we can try baking soda and salt mixed tooth pastes they are good to use.