Brown Teeth

benidorm59

Whats the best whitening toothpaste on the market or the best solution for removing plaque from teeth. My brother in law has had his arm in plaster for two month now bad break and he seems to be suffering with a plaque build up, having noticed it tbh. He doesn't mind paying the money if the product is good

Toothsmith

Whitening toothpastes don't whiten. Toothpaste isn't the important factor in removing plaque. Just go for any standard 'total' type toothpaste.

The thing that gets plaque off teeth is effective toothbrushing.

Certainly with a dominant arm in plaster, something like toothbrushing could be affected. Getting an electric toothbrush would almost certainly help. Nothing extravagant. As I often say on these pages, a mid-range Oral B (£50-£60 - but they're always on a half price offer somewhere, so £25-£30)

Is his brushing normally good? If so, then this temporary blip shouldn't do any lasting damage. Does he see a dentist regularly so that things can be picked up properly and corrected if things are going rapidly south?

I would get him to go and see his dentist or hygienist just so someone can see him properly, assess his limitations, offer more detailed suggestions, and also follow him up afterwards when he's out of plaster to check that no lasting effects are remaining either in his gums or in his arm in terms of mobility.

brook2jack

Also if he is using a mouthwash that contains chlorhexidine eg corsodyl it will stain his teeth brown. So he should stop using any mouthwash.

The only effective way of getting rid of the brown is to see a hygienist.

Toothsmith

brook2jack wrote: »

Also if he is using a mouthwash that contains chlorhexidine eg corsodyl it will stain his teeth brown. So he should stop using any mouthwash.

The only effective way of getting rid of the brown is to see a hygienist.

(Unless actually recommended by his regular dental carer - I think Brook should have added Although if this is the case he should almost certainly have a review appointment with a hygienist )

iamtati

I prefer using different whitestrips. They really help me to make my teeth much lither.

speedfreek1000

I've had very good results using Sensodyne Gentle Whitening + Oral-B 3D White brush head.

It takes time - lots of time - but my staining has been drastically reduced. Still got a bit at the bottom of my front lower teeth and on the top n side of some (hard to get to with the brush), so need a hygienist visit at some point to get that removed.

As has been said neither whiten but for stain removal and prevention it seams to work for me.

Here's a guide to Orab B heads https://www.electricteeth.co.uk/oral-b-brush-heads-comparison/

Toothsmith/other dentists do these different heads actually do what they say on the tin or is it bumf?

brook2jack

So long s the brush head is small enough to reach in the nooks and crannies the rest is bumf.

No toothbrush can get in between teeth so floss action head is misleading , it will not do the job of floss or tepe.

There is a fine line between removing stain and removing enamel and the "polishing" head runs the risk of removing enamel.

The sensitive head will just have soft bristles so may not clean as well.

Etc etc .

In general many patients who complain of sensitive teeth are those who use "whitening" products and/or brush too hard and have removed some of the outer layer of the tooth.

Effective brushing and use of tepes/floss will stop stain building up , and no product available legally over the counter will whiten teeth.

speedfreek1000

Thank you brook2jack :beer:

I had a feeling that that would be the case!

The only other stain remover type tools I've ever seen in shops is;

1, the one with a pointed/sharpened pen type rubber/erasure (there's actually no such thing as a pen erasure - it does not exist - it's just harsher and removes more paper)

2, those magic synthetic cleaning sponges (mel something?) which I've seen advertised as stain removing for teeth.

As I suspected all stain removing involves abrasion which if used over zealously does more harm than good.

I use a normal head during the day, floss after evening meal then have been using the 3D before bed.

Which has worked quite well, but hit a point a while ago where the remaining stains were not shifting.

SO .... need to find a dentist + hygienist for my 1st app in 10 years!