Tooth Whitening

[Pickled Piper]

Can any of the Dentist type PHers enlighten me on the pros and cons of the different processes? I've seen adds for laser type treatment, various treatments only available at the dentist as well as the plethora of DIY treatments.

Any advice / experiences would be appreciated.

Cheers

pp

[simpo two]

[Pigeon]

[Raify]

Seeing as no actual dentists have posted yet, I thought I'd post my 'knowledge gained through osmosis' (my girlfriend is a dentist.)

1. DIY kits won't be very effective as the UK laws on the strength of bleach allowed in commercially avaiable stuff are fairly harsh (compared with our yankee cousins at least).

2. Most common Dentist treatment is hydrogen peroxide gel (or sommat like that!). You go and get a v. thin mouthguard for the upper teeth, fill it with the gel and leave for 4-8 hours (most people leave it in overnight). Repeat a few times and the oxygen + peroxide in the gel lifts out stains. Can cause some sensitivity, but it works and is v. approximately £150ish.

3. Don't know about any 'frickin' lasers

Once again, I'm not a dentist. Any advice given could be jumbled nonsense that I only think I understand. All liability is denied! If you want facts, ask me about fruit!

[Evocator]

I saw this on telly last night.

A blue hydrogen peroxide gel was hand painted on each tooth and then an ultra violet light was used.

The patient got video glasses so she could watch a video as it took some time. This was in a Harlet Street practice though.

oh yes and the cost? £2000

edited to add - that should've been Harley Street, but the more I think about it.....

>> Edited by Evocator on Monday 25th April 15:24

[Scruffy]

Bicarb of soda.

Brush onto teeth every day (for about a minute..)

If you only do half your mouth, you should look like the american ads...

[Plotloss]

Paint your gums red...

Believe it or not this is how some of the whitening toothpastes work...

[Mrs Fish]

I thought it was £1000?

[billb]

Evocator said:

I saw this on telly last night. A blue hydrogen peroxide gel was hand painted on each tooth and then an ultra violet light was used. The patient got video glasses so she could watch a video as it took some time. This was in a Harlet Street practice though. oh yes and the cost? £2000 edited to add - that should've been Harley Street, but the more I think about it..... >> Edited by Evocator on Monday 25th April 15:24

"know someone" that has had this done - v painful but v effective in the short term - was about $400 in new york

[Plotloss]

lotuslad said:

Scruffy said: Bicarb of soda. Brush onto teeth every day (for about a minute..) If you only do half your mouth, you should look like the american ads... Really? Is this harmful in any way?

Only if you were hoofing chozza the night before, then its really really really good

[lotuslad]

Scruffy said:

Bicarb of soda. Brush onto teeth every day (for about a minute..) If you only do half your mouth, you should look like the american ads...

Really? Is this harmful in any way?

[pzero64]

Mrs Fish said:

I thought it was £1000?

Had to do it twice?

[lotuslad]

It's always funny seeing people in the pub checking that they still have their teeth

[wedge girl]

Rubbing lemon on you teeth is ment to bleach them naturally, no idea if it's any good.

[DocJock]

**Purely my professional _opinion_**

I no longer offer it to patients.

There is a lot of disagreement re the long term effect on tooth health.
In fact, the EU want it banned.

My personal experience is that there is an unacceptably high rate of tooth discomfort following whitening even when carried out to the letter of the advised technique.

Also remember, the colour change is purely temporary.

[simpo two]

DocJock said:

Also remember, the colour change is purely temporary.

I thought the colour of your enamel was genetic, ie fixed. And as enamel is dead and doesn't regrow, if you bleach it, it should stay that colour, no? (apart from food/tobacco stains)

[peterpeter]

DocJock said:

**Purely my professional _opinion_** I no longer offer it to patients. There is a lot of disagreement re the long term effect on tooth health. In fact, the EU want it banned. My personal experience is that there is an unacceptably high rate of tooth discomfort following whitening even when carried out to the letter of the advised technique. Also remember, the colour change is purely temporary.

Fair enough,

but here is mine.

Its perfectly safe.

There is absolutely no evidence from any clinical studies that show it is unsafe.
It has been used in the US for nearly 40 years now, and it is widely accepted by cosmetic dentists, as the safest and most non-invasive cosmetic procedure.

I use the "Zoom" system, and do about 4 in-surgery whitenings a week, and my patients get very little sensitivity now, particularly with the formulated home gels included, and also by keeping the gel well away from the gumline, and worn tooth edges.

As for the colour being temporary.

If a patient follows the home instructions fully and gets a good result, I regularly see 2-3 years of improved colour before any regression.

With the system I use, all patients use the home gel for 4 monthly touch ups, and this is enough to keep the effect indefinatley.

Mine have been whiter for over 5 years now.

Its great, in fact the only thing I find is that its damn boring for me.

Costs generally range from £299 for just home whitening up to £600 for the home and laser whitening.

(figures of £2000 are a joke, and probably are only found in Harley St)

[mrs fish]

What does the 'Zoom' method entail?

[Marki]

I asked about this and was told drinking tea, coffee , wine and smoking would void any improvements in a few months

[Iria]

Bicarb of soda can be useful but use only for a month or so since it is very abrassive. There are some toothpastes that are made of just bicarb of soda, which is what the dentist told me to use some time ago.