Teeth whitening? Has anyone ever tried a kit?

[Mouse]

My son wants to whiten his teeth & is looking at kits you can buy. I'm wary of them.

Has anyone had any experience of them?

[Toothfairy]

I've worked in Dentistry for over 25yrs.
I would highly recommend that your son has it done by a qualified Dentist. A lot of the over the counter kits contain very high quantities of peroxide. It's the only way they can achieve results but they can be dangerous.
I would also be very weary of beauty salons and stands in shopping centres. Most of the people running them are not dentally trained and are bleaching teeth that are not suitable for bleaching.
At the Dental Emergency Unit, I've seen many patients come in with burns to their gums through trying to do it themselves.
Hope that helps.

[Mouse]

Thank you, that really does help.

I've never really looked into home kits before, but had the idea that they could be bad for your teeth. I'm going to put him off the idea

[Toothfairy]

You can have home kits made up by your dentist that can be cheaper than the in-house treatments.
But I would stay clear from over the counter/ postal/ TV advert/ beauty salon kits.

Just a few tips:
* People should have good oral hygiene for bleaching
* it can make your teeth very sensitive,
* prolonged bleaching can make teeth brittle,
* smoking, eating spicy foods, red wine, tea, coffee can all re-stain teeth after bleaching
* yellow teeth are easier to bleach than grey teeth
* depending on your natural shade of enamel, you may need two or more treatments before you reach your desired shade
* whitening doesn't last forever and will need redoing regularly

[JCrakers]

I watched a panorama (or similar prog) a few months ago on home kits that had caused burns and were full of household bleach...rip off and people selling stuff that can be really dangerous... Id be very wary too

It will probably cost quite a lot but I would get it done by a professional dentist/cosmetic dental person

[emma04]

Try pearl drops first. They do a few types, I buy the every day whitening one. I wanted a whitening toothpaste but the rest of the family hated the taste (stuck in their ways!) so I use pearl drops. Dentist suggested them when I had my braces fitted (19yrs ago!!! Yikes!)
It's just like normal toothpaste but a bit runnier and comes in a triangular shaped bottle. All supermarkets do it. It's good, you may prefer a stronger type than the every day one but I've not used anything else so couldn't comment really.

[clairer]

Good tips here, I have always wanted my teeth whitened. I certainly won't be going near a home kit now.