Teeth Whitening

trishthudish

I went to the dentist yesterday and asked about teeth whitening and they're charging like $325 but you get trays and can re-bleach whenever you want. I asked if the Crest strips are comparable and the doc said they'll do the same thing but just take longer.  Monetarily, I can definitely see the value in using the strips but I'm wondering if the difference in the quality is worth the cost? Anyone else do either of these?

perfectlioness1

I've used the Crest white strips in the past, and at a dental cleaning, the dentist actually asked me if I'd gone somewhere to get my teeth bleached!  He couldn't believe how well the strips worked.  I think it depends on how much time/patience you've got and amount of staining.  It also helps if you start after a recent cleaning, with a clean slate.  Either route you take, try to avoid staining foods and beverages before the wedding otherwise it will all be for naught!

perfectlioness1

P.S. Your teeth already look pretty white in your sig pic!  :-D

nzg1983

Trish, I got the whitening gel after I got my braces off and the ortho fitted me for a retainer.  I quit halfway through because the gel made my teeth really sensitive, like to the point even air hitting my teeth would hurt, and sometimes I would get random shooting pains in my front teeth.  Also, it tended to whiten the sides and edges of my teeth more because the pressure from my teeth would squeeze it outward.  But the second issue may just be from me not applying it to my retainer correctly.  Sensitivity is definitely something you want to consider though.I have also used Oral-B and Crest strips in the past and found that they worked really well.

screwtye

ditto p.p.I used the special stuff from the dentist (dentawhite or something) and it made my teeth so sensitive i couldn't drink 2-3 hours after i did them so i stopped using them.i haven't tried the crest ones but i think i may now

Fondue II

My dentist gave me a special fluoride toothpaste that helps to rebuild enamel (think Crest Pro-Health on steroids) to help minimize sensitivity during the whitening process.  I can't remember the name of it, but I'll post again after I check tonight.

vmilesic

I've used the retainer and my teeth were also very sensitive afterwards, but my dentist told me to purchase "sensodine" toothpaste to help with the sensitivity and it worked. I believe its in the same price range as regular toothpaste. I think that I'm going to try the Crest strips. Good luck

trishthudish

Thanks girls! I think I'll just try the strips first and see how they work!

Fondue II

Finally getting back to you with the name of that prescription toothpaste--it's called NeutraMaxx. 

Marci17154

You might look into Zoom whitening.. They offer it at some malls and you can find it for under 150, it works great and a lot less hassel than the strips.

sms274

FYI there are a few dentist offices that provide free whitening for life with regular 6 month check-ups. My current dentist does it and my past one did too - they were both part of the dental one network of dentists (I know there are several throughout the valley) as far as sensitivity goes, the last time I did whitening i used sensodyne toothpaste and it was fine. This time I am using regular toothpaste and they are a bit sensitive so I am going to try the sesodyne toothpaste again but I had used the strips before and I was not satisfied with the results at all - but that was just me, I'm pretty picky with certain stuff like that.