Slashdot Mirror
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?"
go here http://www.epinions.com/content_61126119044
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.
(\(\
(^.^)
(")")
*beware the cute-bunny virus
I'll admit it: I've got fungus growing in my genital area and between my toes, 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 RiteAid and Walgreens selling "athletes foot" and "jock itch" treatments. They're moderately expensive ($5-$15), 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 scrotii 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? Did you use spray, ointment, or powder? Care to comment on how well it has worked? How long can you wear the same socks and underpants with this medication? Would you like to come over and apply the ointment or powder?
Alright, I can speak on this with a good degree of authority, even though I am not a dentist.
...but I'm going to assume that you don't want to go to the dentist because they can be very expensive. Assuming that your teeth are in relatively good shape, but you drink a lot of coffee or what have you, your best bet is to search Google for a company offering both carbamide peroxide gel in syringes and CUSTOM-fit trays.
First off - the toothpastes are no good. As someone already mentioned, they don't keep the peroxide close to your teeth long enough. Equally crappy are those paint-on peroxides.
White Strips are great, but they don't whiten all of your teeth, so you're left with a white section on otherwise dingy teeth. Plus it's relatively expensive for the results you get.
If you really want to whiten your teeth... you really should go see a dentist. You need to go regularly to make sure you don't have teeth that are rotting from the inside out.
Here's the drill - You get a kit with a few syringes filled the carbamide peroxide gel, two trays, a lump of putty, and a pre-paid envelope. You take the putty, mash it into a tray and make an impression of your teeth. Take the tray, drop it into the envelope and send it to the company. Several weeks later, they send you custom-fit trays. Put some gel in the NEW tray and put the tray in your mouth for 15-30 minutes a day for a week or two. Several days later, bam... white teeth!
Have you tried liquid paper?
If not, don't. Liquid paper is not a good way to whiten your teeth. Normally I wouldn't think it neccessary to point that out, but since you also seemed to have missed the fact that:
I thought that it might be worth mentioning.-- MarkusQ
Is the Crest's night time whiting stuff. You paint your teeth with it before you go to bed, and then brush it off in the morning. I recently used it before a wedding, and lots of people noticed my teeth were much whiter. I've also read some reviews that rated it above the others. It's a two week treatment, and you have to get used to sleeping with it on, but it works really really well.
As a dentist, first of all, I cannot recommend anything for a specific situation without actually seeing the situation myself. There are different reasons why teeth are yellow, and different ways of whitening as well. As mentioned by many others, get a dentist to have a look at the situation first.
For some more general information about bleaching products: They are all peroxide-based, usually carbamide peroxide, which breaks down into hydrogen peroxide upon use. There are various ways of delivery. The over-the-counter methods such as the strips or paint-on system are lower in concentration than what you would find in a dentist-provided system, but basically the same thing. If you see a dentist, you can either have a home bleaching system made up for you, or have in-office bleaching done. The take-home system entails wearing a custom-made tray carrying the bleaching gel overnight. In-office bleaching uses quite a high concentration of peroxide, applied over a short period of time. Which one you pick depends on how much hassle you want, and costs will vary.
How well does it work? Generally, there will be some whitening, but how much depends on the patient. Smoking, coffee, and foods that stain are absolute no-no's, especially right when you're doing the bleaching, since the teeth at that point can very easily pick stains back up. 'Clinically proven' is a phrase I absolutely hate. To me, it's just a marketing phrase, and says nothing about the amount or quality of research that has been done on a particular product.
Last of all, there can be side effects from bleaching. Many people have reported sensitivity (hot and cold) after they've done it; It goes away for some. 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.
Personally, I do bleaching for patients on occasion, but I don't really push it, due to concern about side effects. Plus, I find the resulting look can be unnatural compared to how natural teeth are supposed to look.
-- Silhouette
You basically have three options:
1. Buying somethng off shelf
These most of the times do not work. They are too weak, and they wash off too easily. If they have mouth guards, they are cheap ones that don't fit well.
The advantage is that if you have sensitive teeth this is the best option. And it's the cheapest.
Cost: $10-$40
2. Using something like BriteSmile or.. (whatever other names are.. Zoom?)
These work best. You sit in a chair, you watch a movie while an assistant props your mouth open and applies some paste. Then, they shine a light on the paste for an hour. You walk out with about 7 shades whiter.
Cost: about $500.
Advantages: fast! You can do it over lunch hour. Good results.
3. Dentist at-home whitening
Dentist gives you some syringes and a mouthguard. You add a little liquid to the mouthguard and wear them anywhere from 20 mins to overnight.
Cost: about $300 initial (mouth guard is expensive), plus about $45 to resupply syringes periodically. Can buy them much cheaper off the internet (same big brands)
Advantages: cheaper than britesmile, works much better than the off-the-shelf ones. Good results.
Disadvantages: expensive, most sensitivity issues (especially with 20% concentrations)
So, don't waste your money on off the shelf ones. Also, these things don't work on everything. If your teeth are gray because some medicine you took, you may need caps instead of bleaching. A dentist can tell you best.