Pearly Whites

[LabRat]

Anyone ever whitened their teeth? I am currently trying the Opalescence system from my dentist, and am not impressed. For $340 (170 per arch) I had to get molds done, then nightly fill them with this vile melon tasting 'bleach' and wear them overnight. So far, after 3 nights I am seeing a general lightness, but mostly in blotches. And this morning the forwarned "sensitivity" has set in. Try downright annoying pain. Just sitting here, my lower teeth are just kind of throbbing. Like, when a tooth dries out, and air hits it and you get this little jolt, only slightly less jolting and continuous. Why, you ask would I do this silly thing? Well, because I was feeling a little mousy even after losing all of the baby weight, and a boob job was a little too pricey.

[wolf]

My dentist doesn't much go in for that stuff, but he has said it was okay to use the home kit from Crest ... the strips, I think. However, he would only go so far as to say "many people think they work well" and "they won't hurt you."

[OnyxCougar]

I tried the Crest Whitestrips and they worked to a point. There is a procedure you can get in the office that takes about an hour and is supposed to really work, but I forget what it's called....

[mrnoodle]

cleaning?

[Undertoad]

These days you can get bonding in any shade of white, that completely and perfectly changes the shade of your teeth. To preview what it might look like, watch any TV news anchor. You can bet that every single one of them has had this procedure. For fun, spot the ones who are new/not so wealthy and look for different shades on their tops and bottoms.

Many Indians get this done in too-light shades of white... apparently it is a cultural thing.

It's about half the price of a boob job I think, but a boob job is a ridiculous medical procedure.

[ashke]

Is it bad for your teeth though..?

[Undertoad]

That kind of bonding is just a thin porcelain "veneer" - I think the dentist removes the enamel from your teeth and replaces it with this porcelain, permanently. It's not bad for your teeth - it's like replacement teeth covers.

My ex-wife had this done, because she was obsessive-compulsive about her looks. I do not think she feels any better about herself because if you are OCD there is always some flaw to address. At the time it cost about $5000 but she used an expensive dentist.

[ashke]

So it's like owning a set of china... for your teeth?

The practice of teeth whitening began in the Middle Ages. Teeth would be filed down by a barber-surgeon and then soaked in a concentrated solution of nitric acid. Although the procedure did work to make teeth white, it also destroyed the tooth enamel and led to major tooth decay.

Today’s dentists use whitening techniques that involve gels, strips and pastes to make teeth their whitest. Tooth discoloration is caused by colored molecules such as tannins and polyphenols, found in red wine, coffee and tea, which become absorbed by the tooth enamel’s surface.

Cigarettes, blueberries and other foods that contain dark pigments can also discolor your tooth enamel. Some of the staining can be removed by brushing, but over time the compounds can seep into the enamel.

Other causes of tooth discoloration are aging and certain antibiotics in childhood. Teeth gradually turn more yellow as we age, and the antibiotic tetracycline can turn children’s teeth gray if taken during early childhood.

Toothpastes depend on abrasive substances including silica, aluminum oxide, calcium phosphates and calcium carbonate to remove stains.

However, to remove stains that are below the surface, a whitening agent containing hydrogen peroxide will likely be needed. The use of peroxide as a teeth whitener was discovered in the early 1970s when scientists using the substance as an oral antiseptic found that it also brightened teeth.

Hydrogen peroxide forms radical intermediates--extremely unstable and destructive molecules--that break down into water and oxygen. The radical intermediates react with the pigments that stain teeth and destroy much of the double-bond network that gives the pigments their color, according to researchers.

If whiteners don’t work on your teeth, as often happens, tooth veneers are another option. Veneers are thin coverings made of porcelain that are bonded to your teeth. Though they won’t stain, they are not as long lasting as real teeth.

-- from http://www.mercola.com/2003/mar/12/teeth_whiteners.htm

[Catwoman]

In the words of Christina Aguilera: 'You are beautiful, no matter what they say...'

Stop changing things! You're fine as you are!

And don't tell me you're doing it for 'yourself' because that's bollocks. Stop pandering to the unrealistic demands of Photoshop7!

[russotto]

Originally Posted by Catwoman

In the words of Christina Aguilera: 'You are beautiful, no matter what they say...'

Coming from a woman who has more plastic in her body than I have in all my computers...

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by Catwoman

And don't tell me you're doing it for 'yourself' because that's bollocks. Stop pandering to the unrealistic demands of Photoshop7!

WHO I am doing this for is not the point. There are other threads for pissing matches about the unrealistic expectations placed on today's youth. This one is about whitening your teeth.

In my dentist's defense, she suggested I start using Sensodyne toothpaste before and during the procedure, and rinse with ACT right after taking out my arches to reduce chances of getting sensitive teeth. But did I listen, of course not. Duh. A couple of ibuprofin took care of the prob, and I didn't use the stuff last night. My labbies do notice a difference however, and I told them to tell me if I'm starting to get too white, once I start using it again.

[Catwoman]

Originally Posted by LabRat

WHO I am doing this for is not the point. There are other threads for pissing matches about the unrealistic expectations placed on today's youth. This one is about whitening your teeth.

Sorry, I just find it odd that someone would want to alter their appearance without knowing why, or even questioning that want. You're doing it to make you happier, ultimately, right? Well what if you could be happier without whitening your teeth! I see no difference between this and make-up, or this and liposuction. Pointless, often dangerous and most of the time it doesn't actually make you look any better (like a 20 stoner wearing fake tan, if you see what I mean). Not trying to judge you just help by pointing out the obvious.

[Catwoman]

On a slight aside, I have noticed something odd that occurs quite regularly on message boards, and in every day conversation. For example, I say something like this:

Originally Posted by Catwoman

Not trying to judge you just help by pointing out the obvious.

And the respondant replies with something like this:

Originally Posted by LabRat

And your judging me on that makes me REALLY not care what you think

A particular word (in this case 'judge') enters the reader's (or listener's) consciousness and it comes up again, as if it's being released, at a later occasion. This doesn't annoy me it's quite fascinating and can be used to manipulate people by dropping words into their mouths.

Anyway, back to the point.

Originally Posted by LabRat

What I do to make me happy is my business,

then don't post it up on a message board.

Originally Posted by LabRat

I don't care if YOU (or anyone for that matter) think it makes me look better, I care about if it makes me feel better... What are you trying to point out that's so obvious?

Er - your first sentence. It's wrong. If you were living on a desert island with no other human being and only survival to consider, you wouldn't be whitening your teeth. Cleaning them - yes. Not whitening. So it must be for other people, or how you appear to other people. You're not doing it for yourself, do you understand? You will feel better for three weeks, find you're still dissatisfied with your appearance and want to change something else, and so on. I know you can't see it now, but it's true. And you know what? I'm not saying this to be right, or clever. I actually care about you. I don't know you. I might not even like you if I met you (and vice versa) but I do care about you because ultimately you are another human being the same as me and I hate to see unhappiness when there's no need for it. For someone to want to change something they cannot be happy with the way things are, or they wouldn't want to change it! I'm trying to get the message across that you're OK right now, everyone, stop being upset or disillusioned or disappointed or stubborn.

Originally Posted by Beestie

It has to start from the inside.

[LabRat]

[quote=Catwoman]You're not doing it for yourself, do you understand? You will feel better for three weeks, find you're still dissatisfied with your appearance and want to change something else, and so on.



This thread is about anyones experience WHITENING YOUR TEETH. Not why I am, or how the f*ck I'll feel afterward. Tooth sensitivity aside.

I dunno why this annoys me so much, and I swear to GOD(S), if anyone says because deep down I really have low self esteem or some other BS I'll lose it. I am looking to hear peoples experiences with tooth whitening, not their about my inner self. (happy stacey? )

Thank you to those who added theirs, and Chainsaw, when I originally asked my current dentist about tooth whitening 2 checkups ago, (1 yr ago) she said for the same effect due to the same basic ingredient Crest's products would do just the same thing as what she had to sell. It would just take longer because the concentration of bleach is lower. I overall got the impression she was saying, do those first and see if you like the results. If they're not white enough, I'll see what I can do.

When I used whitening toothpaste, it really burned my tongue and basically took the top layer of skin off of my lips and inside my mouth. I had to quit after just a week due to the soreness of my mouth. I went with the professional system because they made a mold so that the bleach just stays on your teeth, not anywhere else.

[lookout123]

i had the molds made in the dentist's office abotu 3 years ago. i still have the same ones and use them about once/month. i only wear mine for 1-2 hours though and immediately brush and rinse. my teeth are sensitive for a couple of hours, but not terribly so.

the difference is immediately noticeable.