Dentists -What whitening products do you recommend?

helimachoptor

For the dentists on the forum what whitening products do you recommend both in your surgery and for the home user?

A guy i work with bought crest strips from the US and they are fantastic, he uses them ever 3-4 months and they have a very noticeable effect.

day dreamer

Hi

I dont know much about Crest strips, would be careful using something off the net though. Often medical products sold on the net are not what they claim to be and are unlicensed copies made in Turkey or China

I would usually use Illumine 15% for home use. I am no expert on bleaching but many places promote "laser" whitening, usually not a dentist but a salon. As far as i know there is no such thing as laser whitening, it just uses a bright light and it is no better than what you do at home but it looks the part.

Big_G

Agreed 15% buffered carbamide peroxide gel or higher. Anything else is just marketing.

Dunder Mifflin

Big_G wrote: »

Agreed 15% buffered carbamide peroxide gel or higher. Anything else is just marketing.

Can you buy these in a chemist or do you have to go to your dentist? How much would it cost?

Big_G

Your dentist will have it. I have seen on the net but caveat emptor on that one. You might not be getting what you pay for.

Kashkai

I had my teeth whitened at my dentists about three weeks ago and tbh I wasn't very impressed with the results. While I wasn't expecting a Tom Cruise smile, I did expect that they'd be avlot whiter than they turned out.

My teeth weren't bad to begin with, a bit yellow but I'm 40 so that's to be expected. However after the 3rd application if bleach, the teeth became very sensitive and I was getting sharp pains so the session ended there. After three weeks, I'm sure they are regressing in colour again despite brushing morning and night, flossing and using mouthwash. I've also quit tea, coffee and red wine so that's not the problem.

I used the Zoom teeth whitening system at my dentists which cost 299 euro. Not worth it in my opinion.

georgieporgy

You are right Dave. Zoom is more or less useless if you want a good colour change which is stable and long lasting.

At home bleaching using custom made trays is the most reliable. And if you want to go up market ask for Deep Bleaching. Costs more but gives spectacular results. (painfree)

Kashkai

georgieporgy wrote: »

You are right Dave. Zoom is more or less useless if you want a good colour change which is stable and long lasting.

At home bleaching using custom made trays is the most reliable. And if you want to go up market ask for Deep Bleaching. Costs more but gives spectacular results. (painfree)

Where would I get the at home kits or the deep bleaching you mentioned?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Just a point here, the dental issues forum, boards.ie or the forum moderators do not condone putting bleach bought anywhere except from a dentist or under a dentists supervision on your teeth. Always check that any product is licensed for use intraorally and is safety marked.

Bleaching products can be harmful if not used correctly. In ireland a qualified dentist should assess the health of your teeth prior to any bleaching.

georgieporgy

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

Where would I get the at home kits or the deep bleaching you mentioned?

like Fitzgeme says...... only from a dentist. not everyone does deep bleaching (as lots of them believe in Zoom) so do a google to find someone if your own doesn't offer it.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Thats bordering on shilling Georgie, tut tut

Kashkai

I don't want to step over any lines with the forum rules but I've gone to this dentist for years and they extolled the virtues of Zoom teeth whitening and tbh I might as well have fecked the money out the window for the p!ss poor results I got. No wonder they don't do a money back if you're not happy guarantee. Bloody rip off.

If the professionals carry on like this, how can it be much worse outside the Dentistry world?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I dont think Zoom is great, I use the deep bleach method myself but patients want "quick" fixes so zoom sells. Would you have been as eager if you had to do 4-6 weeks every night and 3 visits to the dentist and part with 1000+ euro ?????

Putting some stuff made in a bathtub in bangladesh and sold on ebay into your mouth is not the answer. Safety is the priority.

Kashkai

I agree with you about the dangers of buying over the net. God knows what you'd get. My gripe is that my dentist gave me the hard sell on this zoom procedure (I'd never considered getting my teeth whitened before she launched into her pitch), showed me the before and after cards etc. However the end result was barely noticeable and then she got offended when I said I couldn't notice any difference.

Yes I'd like pearly white teeth but the moral of the story is do some research yourself instead of blindly trusting your dentist (who is making good money out of the teeth whitening procedure) who might not have your best interests at heart.

georgieporgy

Carla Easy Toilet wrote: »

I dont think Zoom is great, I use the deep bleach method myself but patients want "quick" fixes so zoom sells. Would you have been as eager if you had to do 4-6 weeks every night and 3 visits to the dentist and part with 1000+ euro ?????

Putting some stuff made in a bathtub in bangladesh and sold on ebay into your mouth is not the answer. Safety is the priority.

4-6 weeks every night? is that how you do deep bleaching? Are you sure it's the trademark Deep Bleach technique as taught by Dr Kurthy?(www.korwhitening.com).
It generally takes only 2 weeks (except for tetracycline cases).

I refuse to do Zoom. When patients request 'laser' bleaching I just tell them honestly I don't think it works well and as a professional I wouldn't feel happy using it. If they still want it I direct them to the other offices in town where it can be had (or they can be had?:rolleyes:)

day dreamer

i like that line ballsy, "where they can be had"

Fitzgeme can you enlighten me a bit on bleaching. Is a light activated proceedure any faster or better than convention tray based technique. Is Ed Lynch in Belfast still preaching to the converted.

Or is it as you say just a sales pitch as the OP has found.

Dave it may not be the process itself or the dentist. The success of the bleaching is dependent on the cause of the discolouration and some types of dark teeth are just not responsive

Kashkai

My teeth weren't bad to begin with. I don't smoke, I drank about one to two cups of tea or coffee a day and had maybe one glass of red wine a month at most - I know I sound like a real clean living guy , and since the procedure, I've given up the tea, coffee and red wine.

My teeth were quite passable when measured against the general population as I look after them with brushing flossing and mouthwash, so this has contributed to my feelings of being ripped off as I'm thinking "if I didn't have rotten looking smokers yellow teeth, why was she advising that I do the zoom treatment?". Hindsight is great though as she was offering to knock 100 euro off what she normally charged and I should have twigged that business wasn't great anymore with the recession making people think long and hard about spending their money on unnecessary cosmetic treatments.

I'm nowthinking of switching dentists as not only am I annoyed at the zoom rip off but her prices are very high compared to what I hear other dentists are charging eg 150 euro for a check up and clean that took about 10 minutes.

digzy

I use both systems. I've a preference for the home bleaching we provide. Some patients prefer the Zoom and i've to say the results are quite satisfactory. ideally a zoom patient would also get the trays for maintenance occasionally.There is some variety of final results. it's impossible to give a definitive prediction of the final colour change.

Big_G

Every study on 'light activated' bleaching systems have shown that regression of shade happens roughly two months from initial treatment and that the main gain in shade is from dessication of the teeth. The particular wavelength of light used does accelerate the release of oxygen but only by emission of heat. Not by virtue of the particular wavelength of light.

To me, if that is the mode of action, all the wasted isolation time, the discomfort to the patient and the effective timeline after treatment makes it not worth it at all. Particularly when well sealed take home trays will do a better job with longer lasting results. Why do you think the dental marketing companies that sell these items encourage giving the take home kit for free?

As georgie says, deep bleaching is probably the most effective. Look up the work of Rod Kurthy, amongst others.

jackthelad321

helimachoptor wrote: »

For the dentists on the forum what whitening products do you recommend both in your surgery and for the home user?

A guy i work with bought crest strips from the US and they are fantastic, he uses them ever 3-4 months and they have a very noticeable effect.

Yea, i have heard great things about these strips too. It's a shame, though, that everything, in the end, is written off as either dodgy, overpriced or completely useless!

I am in Thailand and they have the laser Whitening here, for around 190 euro, but my gut feeling told me it would be a dissapointment.

Incidentally, has anyone reading this gotten Dental work done in Thailand, oe SE Asia, by any chance ??(may as well ask!)If so, any thing good/ bad to report?

EDIT: i also just looked up the deep cleaning system. sounds great but how much is it?! 1500 dollars? really?

day dreamer

"It's a shame, though, that everything, in the end, is written off as either dodgy, overpriced or completely useless!"

This is not true, professional whitening products do work if they are used appropriately. the "laser" is a gimmick though.

I dont know much about about dentistry in SE asia, you can have whitening in Ireland for 300-400

Crackity Jones

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

I'm now thinking of switching dentists as not only am I annoyed at the zoom rip off but her prices are very high compared to what I hear other dentists are charging eg 150 euro for a check up and clean that took about 10 minutes.

Wow that is pricey! Just had mine done, check up and clean - 45mins thorough job @ €70 (Naas area)

Newport81

I really want to get this deep bleaching done is it def painfree? Amazing is it is? Can somebody reccomend a place to me pls pm if u can't on here. Thanks a mil

georgieporgy

it's virtuallypainfree. In the past 5 years I have had to abandon treatment in 4 cases, all very unusual people. With most people the sensitivity issues can be controlled and a very good white result can be obtained. Where are you located? I know most dentists around the country that do it and you may be near some of them.

Newport81

georgieporgy wrote: »

it's virtuallypainfree. In the past 5 years I have had to abandon treatment in 4 cases, all very unusual people. With most people the sensitivity issues can be controlled and a very good white result can be obtained. Where are you located? I know most dentists around the country that do it and you may be near some of them.

Hey cheers for reply am in Galway do u know of anyone her I had laser done before and had to stop halfway through was gettin really bad shootin pains. How much does deep bleaching cost roughly ?

georgieporgy

smyths wrote: »

Hey cheers for reply am in Galway do u know of anyone her I had laser done before and had to stop halfway through was gettin really bad shootin pains. How much does deep bleaching cost roughly ?

I used to charge 1500euro but have dropped the price to 1000 . There is also a cheaper abreviated version for approx 500. I don't know what others charge. Dr Kurthy the inventor charges about 1700$

I am a long way from galway but I know someone in Sligo so will pm you details.

doriansmith

Can anyone tell me how long the home whitening usually takes to work? I had moulds done at the dentist over 2 weeks ago for home whitening and they still haven't come back yet. I think the dentist might have said it takes about 3 weeks of whitening until you're finished. Is it really this long? I'm going away in 3 weeks so wanted to be finished before heading off

georgieporgy

phone your dentist and remind them you are in a hurry. 2-3 weeks bleaching is usually enough but it depends on the system being used.