Tooth Whitening Products?

DentistsScareMe! asks: "I'll admit it: I've got yellow-stained teeth, and it bugs the hell out of me. I've seen ads (infomercials) over the past few years, but knew them to be mostly hoax products and have steered clear. But now I've noticed the more major (and reputable) pharmaceutical companies jumping into the act, offering their own products. They're moderately expensive ($30-$50), but I'd be willing to foot the large sum _if_ I knew how well they worked. Their ads claim clinical proof, but what exactly does that mean? Did a researcher test the drug on a sample of people to measure effectiveness? Does use of the phrase 'clinically proven' require anything like FDA approval? Has anyone out there used any such product, or know someone who has? Care to comment on how well it has worked?"

Comments

Re:Offtopic

[Slowping]

people ask questions to slashdot that should be directed to a lawyer all the time here. Why should teeth whitening be any different? I'm sure this affects just as many people, if not more, than some of those legal questions.

If we're going to apply standards for what gets posted to Ask Slashdot, we should do it uniformly, with well set rules.

coffee and pepsi and coke, oh my

[Naikrovek]

stop drinking coffee, pepsi, and coca-cola, and your teeth will whiten on their own.

the problem is that most people don't want to get rid of the things in their lives that cause problems, and elect to fix the effects rather than the problem itself.

stop drinking and eating things that stain your teeth, and they won't be yellow anymore. simple as that.

you'll save money, too.

Re:coffee and pepsi and coke, oh my

[Black Perl]

Also stop drinking red wine, grape juice, and eating tomatoes and chocolate. Oh, and stop getting older too, as your teeth become more porous.

In my opinion, the thing to do is to stop thinking of yellowing teeth as a "problem" that needs to be fixed. It's natural.

But if you are unduly influenced by Hollywood or all the Photoshopped magazine pictures, the thing to do is go to the dentist and get the real thing--a custom moulded tooth tray and whitening gel. My wife does this. There's a bit more upfront cost, but it works far better than the over-the-counter stuff, which won't get between your teeth.

Re:what colorspace are you in?

[Anonymous Coward]

always found that Tipp-ex does a much 'whiter' job (closer to #000000)

#000000 is black. Hate to see your teeth.

(maybe you meant #ffffff)

Re: Here we Go

[TubeSteak]

White strips are 'great' but they don't whiten all your teeth and they don't last. They're all 4/6/8% of some type of peroxide whitening agent and do not leave a lasting change. The kit that's being talked about above, is more like 18/22% and it will permanently change your smile in about 2 weeks. They suck b/c the stuff tastes kinda funky and you have to do it an hour each day, but the only possible side affect is sensitive teeth, which will go away if you stop using it.

Once again, don't use those shitty whitening strips. they'll only help if you keep using them, which is great for the company that's selling. Go make one big spend and have a permanently whiter smile.

Re:Bleaching teeth

[FFFish]

"Also, I don't know of any long-term studies on whether the teeth are damaged in any way, or more susceptible to decay/etc., so that question is still up in the air."

And there's the kicker: you may get white teeth, but in doing so, you might also end up destroying them in the long run.

Faced with the choice of yellowish teeth 'til I die, or no teeth starting at age 55, I think I'll take the yellowish teeth for $300, Alex.