Health Forum

what is the best way to whiten my teeth without using the services of a dentist. any ideas? what works the best trays or strips?

Overall I would say that most of my patient's have had some measure of success with the Crest Whitestrips, some more than others. Our office uses Crest Supreme which are much stronger than what you can buy in a drugstore and don't cost that much more ($60.00 vs $30.00). You can purchase the drugstore version, but do yourself the favor of using them right after you get your teeth cleaned as any staining and buildup (tartar or plaque) will impede their ability to work. Also, don't use fluoride toothpaste before putting the strips on (same reason). Most whitening toothpastes just remove stain on the surfaces of your teeth and therefore are not so effective. Whatever method you use it will not whiten your teeth for life, as you age your teeth will get darker and may need to be whitened again.
Good luck!
JAMRDH - a dental hygienist
Please note (unlike Nate's post) don't brush right before, it is in the instructions!

over the counter products are all different. with my patients i tend to get the best results with crest white strips. here are a few tips avoid red wines, pasta sauces, ketchups, bbq sauces anything heavy along those lines most importantly no smoking or coffee drinking while doing it. no eating or drinking at least 30mins after doing it. you must brush your teeth before bleaching and also do not use baking soda and peroxide to brush your teeth please b/c it is such and abrasive paste when you put them together it can actually be damaging to your enamel on your teeth and gums depending on how often you use it. and if you do decide on that method then please make sure you use the ORAL hydrogenperoxide not the stuff in the brown bottle b/c you can end up burning your mouth with it and sluffing your gum tissue.

deadwood_domico - if you check out the packaging labels of most tooth whitening products, you will notice that most of them use hydrogen peroxide as the tooth whitening agent. To easily, quickly and cheaply whiten your teeth without going to a dentist just use hydrogen peroxide as your mouthwash.

Every morning and evening brush your teeth using a baking soda and hydrogen peroxide toothpaste. Then after flossing use Hydrogen Peroxide as your mouth wash. You can buy hydrogen peroxide (3% in the brown bottle) at your local drugstore for about $1 for a 16 ounce bottle. Mix ½ ounce hydrogen peroxide with ½ ounce hot water and swirl in your mouth for about 1 minute. Spit out (DO NOT SWALLOW) and then rinse your mouth out several times with cool water.

Not only will hydrogen peroxide whiten your teeth, it also kills the bacteria in the mouth that causes cavities and bad breath.

Hai,

Every morning and evening brush your teeth using a baking soda and hydrogen peroxide toothpaste. Please avoid smoking. Avoid coffee, tea and caffinated products. We will give some useful tips for whitening your teeth. Please visit our website.