Advice on Teeth Whitening Discussion Thread

Toothsmith

I thik were beginning to see the problems of having this stuff available direct to the public!!!!

Your teeth will NEVER match the fridge Negotiator.

Don't use anything above the 16%

Otherwise all you will have to worry about is getting an effective denture cleaner!!

Negotiator

come on am not being stupid i'll never use anything above 22%. Do they even make 100% stuff?

Toothsmith

No - they don't.

I still wouldn't recommend 22%

Lady_K

Daughter started her tooth whitening yesterday with the 15% carbamide peroxide gel. She is getting sensitive gums but she has got the desensitizing gel too so she used that afterwards, in fact she said it was so sensitive she took it off and replaced it with gel in between whitener today. Shes just doing 2 hours and is wiping it away from her gums once the trays are in place. From what I gather her gums are more sensitive than her teeth how is it best to wipe the gel away from the gum area is just a tissue enough or should she use damp tissue or cotton wool? Do you adjust to the sensitivity at all? Would it be a good idea to sleep with sensodyne in the trays? Although she usually wears a retainer guard on top for tooth grinding at night so just a bit worried in case she might rip them to pieces, she could put it in the retainer guard for the top maybe?

Her dentist didnt say anything about buying any desensitizing gel she just said to put sensodyne or equiv in the trays after treatment if she got sensitive so I'm wondering if theres not much difference in the gel and the sensodyne for that, is it worth buying the gel or is sensodyne just as good?

She did in the end opt for opalescence 15% just because thats the exact one her dentist uses and her dentist said just stick to that one. If it turns out shes not happy she will then try the excel3

Shes done 2 sessions of 2 hours up to yet, 1 session a day but the 2nd session was broken up by the need to take off and put desensitizing gel in for a while and she cant really see anything much happening apart from at a push she said they may look slightly more even is this normal or should she see a bit more at this stage? She has taken before pictures anyway just to compare later

Toothsmith

Part of the 'package' of doing it through the dentist is supply of the gel, and advice and guidance through treatment.

You have chosen to just buy the gel.

There are issues above that need advice, but that is banned on this site.

Lady_K

She is going to take a break from it even though its only been 2 applications in order for her gums to recover. The soreness is just on the top teeth above the same tooth each side so its just 2 places. She isnt sure if it could be because she did the first application late at night then straight afterwards she put her night retainer in which fits tightly so it may be that it rubbed against her gums and irritated them more. Shes away at uni so I havent actually seen her, I would have preferred her to have done the treatment whilst at home but thats not possible shes never at home long enough. There is the possibilty that the tray isnt fitting correctly although when she went to collect it the dentist did check the fit.

Once she starts the treatment again shes going to make a few changes and if it doesnt improve she will go back to the dentist to re-check the fitting although her dentist is now on maternity leave so it would be a different one.

Shes going to put a bit less gel in as as a lot came out which she wiped away with a tissue and her fingers, I think it would be better to remove the excess with tissue then wipe over again with a damp piece of cotton wool. Also shes going to apply it earlier so her gums can settle down a bit before bed and the night guard. Not sure if she can leave the night guard off during treatment as its there because her teeth move very easily but it prob would be better if she did. To make sure all possible traces are gone from her gums after treatment after cleaning I'll suggest she rinses out with plain water or mild mouthwash

I'm just a bit concerned it may be the fit because if its not irritating her lower gums and its only in 2 places at the same side of the top its a bit sus

Negotiator

your only ment to put enough gel to be squeezed to the to of the tooth or bottom but not squeezed to far to reach the gums.

loates123

MissMoneypenny wrote:

I have used Crest Whitestrips twice and am really pleased with the results. It seems they are freely available in other EU countries but not in the UK.

what your option tooothsmith

also am i right they are only 4%
also our easy is it to apply them, do u use just the once?

1Foxylady

SparkyG wrote:

Hi Foxlady

I also read that article in the paper on Monday, and Toothsmith is quite right to warn people to be wary of buying bleaching supplies from the internet. But as he says, he is not going to 'name' any particular suppliers or products as being unsafe, as that means by implication some are ok, and as a professional he's not going to give advice online

I have shown the Excel Nite white to my dentist, and he has confirmed that the ingredients are exactly the same as the syringes he sells, and that Discus Dental is a reputable US company. Also, I accompanied a friend to her very posh upmarket cosmetic dentist in Bath, the other week, and when he commented on my teeth, I told him what I was using. Guess what? He supplies the same product to his patients:D

The 16% gel does not irritate my gums, but irrtitation is often due to poorly fitting trays or using too much of the product. My dentist told me initially to only use a small drop in each tooth indentation, and when the trays are in place, to wipe away any excess which gets squeezed to the top.

The Excel Nite White contains Carbamide Peroxide. It also has Amorphous Calcium Phosphate, ACP, which is excellent for preventing sensitivity. My dentist had never heard of that, but the 'posh' Bath cosmetic dentist knew exactly what it was, and was very approving:j

Hope you can find the product I use on the dentist.net site. I tried to do a link, but it's copy protected.:mad: It's called: Excel Nite White ACP 16% mint. The order I submitted on 10/10/06 arrived on 23/10/06, and included a free Crest toothbrush;)

HTH

SparkyG

Hi SparkyG

Although I said I was going to order some gel some time ago, I never got chance for one reason or another.

I have today checked dentist.net and I can see no reference to Excel for the Nite White ACP, is this still the same product and they have just removed Excel from the description? I could see Nite White Excel Turbo ACP, this isn't the one is it?

I am definitely going to order some as soon as you confirm.

Many thanks

Foxy

Lady_K

Daughters doing ok with her bleaching now after giving it a few days rest from the sensitivity. She is even sleeping in it now and has no sensitivity at all so it seems it was a combination of too much gel and using her night retainer too soon after that.

She has one white spot on one tooth, some people call them calcium spots and that is getting whiter so standing out more. I've heard of this happening to people before but shes hoping it will even out as her teeth hopefully get whiter. It is only one spot anyway but it's noticeable as its the canine tooth. I don't know why she got it in the first place but shes worn 3 lots of braces over the years (long story) and someone said they can be caused by that. Even if it doesnt blend in more I think she would still prefer slightly whiter teeth with a more noticeable spot than yellower teeth