Teeth whitening...which product?

[scrapbabe]

What are the best DIY teeth whitening products?

[Baseball mom]

I have had good luck like this, swish peroxide in mouth for 30 seconds to a minute, spit. Dip wet toothbrush in baking soda and scrub teeth. Then brush teeth with normal tooth paste.

[Negin]

I have had good luck like this, swish peroxide in mouth for 30 seconds to a minute, spit. Dip wet toothbrush in baking soda and scrub teeth. Then brush teeth with normal tooth paste.

Yes.

 

Sharing what I've read:

 

Strawberries may help whiten teeth because they contain an enzyme called malic acid, which can be found in some whitening toothpastes.

You can mash up the strawberry or just rub it on your teeth, cut in half. Leave the juice on your teeth for 5 minutes and then rinse with water.

The fiber in strawberries also behaves as a natural cleaner by removing bacteria from the teeth and mouth.

 

Apples, Celery, and Carrots

These fruits and veggies act like natural stain removers.

They increase saliva production, which is the body's built-in cleaning agent. It may sound hard to believe, but some people swear that rubbing raw carrot sticks on your teeth will make them look brighter.

These foods are high in vitamin C, which prevents gum disease and gingivitis and kills odor-causing bacteria.

 

Citrus fruit, such as oranges and pineapples, also cause the mouth to produce more saliva, which help clean the teeth and whiten your smile.

Just as they naturally 'bleach' your hair, lemons will lighten and brighten your teeth. Rinse with half water, half lemon juice once or twice a week.

However, do not rinse with this concoction more than two times a week and do not rinse with straight lemon juice. Overdoing it would be too acidic, which can be damaging to the teeth.

 

Make sure to brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day. Make sure to floss at bedtime and use a cheap gum massager to get under the gum flap. You want to prevent the buildup of plaque, which can discolor your teeth. Focusing on your teeth will help you prevent some staining of your teeth.

 

Brush teeth as soon as you can after dark beverages – tea, coffee, etc. Other foods like red wine and berries (except strawberries) can cause stains.

 

Genetics can play a role too; some people just have teeth with a yellowish or off-white appearance.

 

Foods to Limit – these cause stains

And when you do have them, try to brush very soon after –

Tea

Coffee

Red Wine

Chocolate

Dark-Colored Berries – blueberries, raspberries

Cranberry Juice

Cigarettes

Dark Cola

Marinara Sauce

Grape Juice

Beets

Milk can also bond onto front teeth and cause a yellow tartar buildup.

 

Rinsing with water for twenty seconds immediately after downing anything on the “bad†list will help.

 

Clearly, it would be best to brush immediately after eating these foods, but if that isn't possible, rinse your mouth well with water and then chew sugarless gum.

 

Foods to Eat More of

Raw vegetables and fruits help to scrub away stains:

Carrots

Cucumbers

Celery

Apples

Pears

Peaches

Plums

Broccoli

Asparagus

Grapes

Green Beans

Mushrooms

Bananas

These all act like a detergent, cleaning the surfaces of your teeth as you chew.

Oranges, pineapples, grapefruits, tangerines, nectarines, honeydews, cantaloupes, limes, mangoes, and tomatoes have a lot of vitamin C, which is good for gum tissue.

[DianeW88]

I like Crest Advanced White Strips. Cheaper than some of the other stuff, but they work really well.

[Garga]

I use the Crest 3D whitestrips. My teeth weren't too bad to begin with, and they worked fine for me.

 

The only issue I had was that my teeth got super sensitive using them. I had to drop to using them once every other day. My teeth would hurt if a slight breeze hit them. Bizarre.

 

But backing off how much I used them solved the problem. (It tells you to do that in the insert in the box if you find your teeth getting sensitive, so it must be a common enough problem.)

 

I think they did a decent job of whitening my teeth.

[Nestof3]

Listerine dissolving strips, but they stopped making them. :glare: I cannot stand the strips you have to bend around your teeth.

[Negin]

I didn't realize that you were asking about strips/trays also. I'm on the lookout for something that's effective. I'm not too fond of the strips that come off so easily. :glare: I'm considering using trays next time around and see how that works. I've read that it's not good to overuse these products (oral cancer, etc.). For me, once a year is fine.

 

Aquafresh Trays

 

Crest 3D - has lots of good reviews

 

Someone here or maybe it was on another forum said that she loved the strips from Target. She said that it's the one time where she likes the store brand better than the name brand. The strips - not the trays.

 

Some tips:

 

If you need to get your teeth professionally cleaned, do it at least a week before you plan to use these strips.

 

Brush with a sensitive-teeth toothpaste twice a day for a week before you start treatment, and keep using it until you're finished with the treatments.

 

If you want to brush and floss, do so 3 hours before your treatment. DO NOT brush right before your treatment because your teeth and gums will kill!

 

Use the product for 30 minutes (or whatever the instructions say) every other day to cut down on sensitivity, or even space them out longer if you need to. Everyday and twice a day like the instructions tell you will make you miserable. You can even do two 30-minute sessions every other day if you have time and nowhere to go. Never put the strips on while you still feel pain.

 

Don’t have anything dark to drink for at least an hour after using it.

 

Keep in mind that bleaching products have a short shelf-life. This is because the active ingredient is a form of peroxide and it is an exceptionally unstable ingredient. It can happen that by the time you find, buy, and start using your whitening strips the peroxide may have become inactive. If whatever method you try doesn’t provide noticeable results that could be the reason why.