I don't know if this is the right place to put this question...but I hope it is.

Has anyone ever used teeth whiteners? Do they actually work? And which ones have you used?

Thanks!

I use whiteners and they work great.
You don't have to get those expensive kind, they all do the same thing!
I use equate brand white strips.
$20 at walmart!
Hope I Helped!

Thanks, I was wondering about that. But now that I know those work, I'll use it.

Thank you!

if your teeth are made of fillings or white filler it will not work on that

Well, my dentist told me my teeth were perfect. They just aren't white and his cleanings do nothing for me.

I'm going to go out and get the equate ones this weekend.

Crest White Strips work well. Also, we use Crest extra whitening toothpaste and it seems to prelong the time needed inbetween using the whitening strips.

quote:

Originally posted by amourvie:
Well, my dentist told me my teeth were perfect. They just aren't white and his cleanings do nothing for me.

Your dentist is probably right.

Many people assume that pure white teeth are healthier teeth, but that simply isn't the case. Teeth naturally lean toward the yellow, and indeed, the yellower a tooth is the stronger it is. This is due to the yellowish tint of the dentin and enamel of the human tooth, which increases with age. Artificialy white teeth are essentially a Hollywood phenomenon and certainly no indication of a healthier mouth.

Teeth whitening products run the gamut from the inexpensive to procedures costing thousands of $$ and only performed the dental office.

My experience with Crest White Strips, like many others, has been surprisingly positive and I recommend them often. That said, with the advent of digital photography and digital retouching, gone is the pressing need to have your teeth whitened prior to getting your new headshots done -- the task is so easily and inexpensively performed in Photoshop.

www.robertkim.com

P.S.-

Dental whitening, like just about every new development in cosmetic technology, can be overdone or have limited success.

Teeth whitening (which is essentially bleaching), can have different effects, all dependent on the porosity of your tooth enamel. You can determine its effects with just a few applications, however -- some teeth react well, others not so dramatically. It also won't work on bonding and other dental work. Overdoing it for some people can also result in an artificial-looking "chalky" appearance to the teeth, which you want to avoid.

Beware of high-price dentists who charge an arm and a leg for the procedure, then respond with the typical, "Looks like you'll need one or two more applications...". Shysters come in every profession.

www.robertkim.com

Whitestrips are great BUT you MUST do the following for maximum results. Teeth are extremely porous during the process and for about two weeks after SO if you consume dark liquids i.e. red wine, tea, coffee, red sauces on food- the strips simply will not work well. Use a straw if you like or do what I do which is pour my coffee into a sports bottle so I can pour it in my mouth PAST my front teeth. WOW what a difference as opposed to when I bleached them and didn't do any of that. Trust me- you will love me for this advice if you follow these directions! Lovely white teeth make you feel sexier and feel like an actor!!!

Every dentist I've been to told me not to use the STRIPS, they said they are very bad for your gums.

The best are fitted trays, which can you buy from drug stores. The chemicals in those $15 kits are the same chemicals as what dentists charge you several hundred dollars for.

- Jason Bennett

quote:

Originally posted by JBActors:
Every dentist I've been to told me not to use the STRIPS, they said they are very bad for your gums.
- Jason Bennett

As I mentioned earlier, all teeth whiteners contain BLEACH, which can have varying degrees of effectiveness and may cause gum irritation.

It does not matter whether the bleach is applied via whitening strips or fitted trays -- in fact, in addition to delivering nearly twice the amount of hydrogen pyroxide, if not fitted correctly these trays can actually be the cause of additional gum irritation. The best advice is to simply TAKE IT SLOW... experiment with how often to apply these agents, and the degree of their effectiveness. For some, they may have little or no effect. If the results are worth the inconvenience, continue the treatments. If they cause gum irritation, decrease the dosage by half. If this fails to reduce the inflammation, immediately cease their use altogether.

And remember: If you should experience even the slightest appearance of "chalkiness" in your teeth, immediately stop and don't go back! Tooth enamel is translucent by nature and as I cautioned earlier, the permanent loss of this beautiful pearlescence can be the unfortunate and unsightly result of overusing these products.

"Whatever works."

www.robertkim.com

I’ve used the Crest white strips before and had good effects. I think I’m going to do it again soon actually. If you’re a coffee drinker you kind of have to do it every year because the yellow comes back eventually.

I trim the white strips a little bit to make them smaller and thinner so they aren’t pressing on to my gums.

The AquaFresh trays work fantastic