Advice on Teeth Whitening Discussion Thread

silvercar

Thanks for all the advice. I know £450 may seems expensive, but I trust my dentist. This is potentially part one of a treatment plan (part 2 is the veneer on a front tooth), so I have to decide whether I'm going to do this before I decide on the veneer.

moneylover

SparkyG wrote: »

IMO, I would definitely go for the 'at home' method. It may take longer initially, but you will need to top up the whitening, and if you haven't got the bleaching trays you will be paying out another £450:eek:

I started off with the in surgery bleaching, but it didn't actually whiten my teeth very much, and my dentist (bless him:D ), then made up the bleaching trays for me at no extra cost, as we were both disappointed with the results. That was 3 years ago, and I've been 'topping up' every couple of months since with great results.

BTW, if you do go for for the bleaching trays, once you have used your original syringes, take a look at www.dentist.net I get my supplies from them, and they are about 40% cheaper than my dentist. I know Toothsmith says don't trust online suppliers, and I can fully understand why, but I am 99.9% sure that they are a bona fide company, selling genuine products.

HTH

SparkyG

Sparky - are your teeth a lot whiter than before you started - really noticeable???

I would dearly like to go with the laser whitening in the dentist chair but I just dont think I could cope with the mouthguards that stretch your mouth right open...so will go with the bleaching trays. Toothsmith considers you get a better long term result anyway.

Toothsmith

moneylover wrote: »

I would dearly like to go with the laser whitening in the dentist chair but I just dont think I could cope with the mouthguards that stretch your mouth right open...so will go with the bleaching trays.

It's really not that bad!

The cheek retractors are quite soft, and it looks much worse on the photos than it is to wear.

I'd still recommend the longer, tray and gel systems though.

silvercar

Should both methods be the same price? Do they both last the same length of time?

I've realised that if I whiten before the veneer I'm committing to whitening forever!

Toothsmith

silvercar wrote: »

Should both methods be the same price? Do they both last the same length of time?

I've realised that if I whiten before the veneer I'm committing to whitening forever!

The pricing of it is down to the dentist and his marketing strategy for the treatments.

As for the veneer matching, your teeth won't be the same colour all your life. They gradually darken as you age. So even if you don't have the whitening, the veneer is unlikely to be a perfect match for the rest of your life anyway. But then, they have a lifespan of 8-10 yrs, so that won't be a problem.

If you have your teeth whitened, particularly by the tray method, and then wait a couple of months, the colour will be just as stable as your natural tooth.

Topping up the treatment now and again will help keep the match good, but it shouldn't be necessary more than once every couple of years, unless you really hit the coffee and red wine.

SparkyG

moneylover wrote: »

Sparky - are your teeth a lot whiter than before you started - really noticeable???

Oh Yessss!:D I work with the public, and regularly get comments/compliments about my teeth. They are now B1 shade, which is one of the brightest shades on the UK scales, and I am very happy with them:j .

Anything to 'hold back' the ageing process and make you feel better is, in my book, very welcome;)

danjaq2004

How long did it take to get your B1 shade? Using trays? Over how long?

I have used mine for about 2 weeks on the trot, but I do smoke, so maybe I am always going to take longer to achieve a better result. About to go to the hygienist anyway, so maybe after that I will see a whiter look?

Thanks in advance.

SparkyG wrote: »

Oh Yessss!:D I work with the public, and regularly get comments/compliments about my teeth. They are now B1 shade, which is one of the brightest shades on the UK scales, and I am very happy with them:j .

Anything to 'hold back' the ageing process and make you feel better is, in my book, very welcome;)

moneylover

SparkyG wrote: »

Oh Yessss!:D I work with the public, and regularly get comments/compliments about my teeth. They are now B1 shade, which is one of the brightest shades on the UK scales, and I am very happy with them:j .

But what shade were they when you started ie how many shades does your dentist say they have lightened?????????? Maybe you had pretty white teeth to start with. There must be an average no of shades teeth will lighten with home bleaching. I remember when I had my crown done the dentist showed me a chart to see the colour it would be and my teeth are practically as dark and horrid as can be. I am sixty but I don't drink coffee, the weakest of tea and very little red wine! So its just unfair.

moneylover

Toothsmith wrote: »

It's really not that bad!

The cheek retractors are quite soft, and it looks much worse on the photos than it is to wear.

I'd still recommend the longer, tray and gel systems though.

Can you swallow? When I am at the dentist I make so much saliva and dentist has to keep stopping whilst I swallow in spite of the sucker gadget...its just nerves I know but hard to control! And stupid to be nervous after childbirth times 3!

SparkyG

danjaq2004 wrote: »

How long did it take to get your B1 shade? Using trays? Over how long?

It took me 2 weeks of continuous use with the bleaching trays to reach a B1 shade. That is, a couple of hours every day. I now use the trays for 3 days at a time every couple of months to 'top up', as I do like my coffee and red wine, and find my teeth lose their brightness quite quickly.

Good luck:D

SparkyG