15 year old bleaching

carsfan

I have a 15 year old who wants her teeth bleached as she is convinced they are not white enough. is she too young? would it be safe for dentist to do home bleach for her or should she wait until she is older?
Any opinions?

edellc

she is too young ffs 15 really????
get whitening tooth paste and mouth wash and use twice a day also go to dentist to get teeth cleaned
seriously 15?????

TJJP

Yeah, it's too soon, avoid if you can. It likely a body image thing or too much watching 90210, or perhaps a real issue. If teeth colour is their worst concern then the're pretty lucky. If you need a contact for a good dentist (in Dublin) who will talk sense to them without an eye on your wallet do PM me.

Bicycle

I think this is less of a dental issue and more of a body image issue.

My (wonderful) dentist has a saying "treat the patient, not the tooth".

I'd be more concerned about why your 15 year old is anxious about the colour of her teeth. Unless they are very stained (which I'm sure they aren't) this is more about her self-perception.

I'd be inclined to step back and look at the whole child. Is she anxious about her weight or other aspects of her body as well?

And I'd also suggest that you warn her that smoking is a great aid for staining teeth..... So if she isn't smoking she won't start, and if she is, she might have an incentive to stop

day dreamer

Hi there

bleaching would not be advisable under 18 at least. It would be very sensitive as the nerve or pulp is larger and closer to the surface of the tooth in children than adults. If it is superficial staining it can be easily cleaned away. Bring her to your dentist who will reassure her and you.

georgieporgy

carsfan wrote: »

I have a 15 year old who wants her teeth bleached as she is convinced they are not white enough. is she too young? would it be safe for dentist to do home bleach for her or should she wait until she is older?
Any opinions?

Speaking as a dentist who does a lot of bleaching let me state a few facts and hopefully not get accused of having an eye on your wallet.

The ideal age for whitening teeth is age 14. It is much easier to whiten a young teenager's teeth than an adult's. if done properly there is no pain or damage done to the teeth. The process often takes only half the effort needed for an adult.

Some teens have very yellow teeth and are very selfconscious about them. Whitening them up can do wonders for their self esteem.

DaveTwenty7

georgieporgy wrote: »

The ideal age for whitening teeth is age 14. It is much easier to whiten a young teenager's teeth than an adult's. if done properly there is no pain or damage done to the teeth. The process often takes only half the effort needed for an adult.

Really???
where did you read about this. As a dentist just curious not judging

digzy

maybe try the crest whitening strips as a short term compromise. her mouth is still growing. there's a chance with the trays that they wont fit so well in a few years time making them obsolete. The crest strips are fairly cheap(about 35 euro)and you can get them online. They're worn for about 1 hour a day. I've tried them myself and had no probs!
As already stated, you ought get a dentist to give her a s/p and try figure out the cause. though,sometimes the colour cant be changed if there's an inherent problem.

georgieporgy

DaveTwenty7 wrote: »

Really???
where did you read about this. As a dentist just curious not judging

Rod Kurthy did a lot of research on bleaching and that was his conclusion.

www.korwhitening.com

I can't direct you to where exactly he states it ( he has written tons of stuff on bleaching) so if you don't come accross it easily just email him the question and he will be glad to answer.

Nighttime bleaching for 5-6 nights with good fitting trays usually does the trick. The patient can maintain the colour by repeating the process 1 night every 6 months. New trays can be fabricated around age 18-20 as the teeth will have fully errupted by then.

vishal

i was surprised at the negative reaction by everybody at the start of this thread and didn't want to post.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I do internal bleaching for 12+ year old all the time, I dont see the difference between that and vital bleaching. Nice and slow night guard bleach, low concentration carbomide. So I agree with you georgie, however you made one mistake you put Rod Kurthy and the word research in the same post....Kurthy is good and his techniques work well but proper research he does not do, eminence based dentistry.

I would bleach tetracycline staining, very yellow teeth, dont know if I would bother bleaching a B1 or A1 to 010 though.....

ballsymchugh

i was surprised at vishal's surprise!

vishal

ballsymchugh wrote: »

i was surprised at vishal's surprise!

i'm surprised that your surprised at my surprise:).

btkm8unsl0w5r4

vishal wrote: »

i'm surprised that your surprised at my surprise:).

I am not surprised

Big_G

Alright that's enough.

georgieporgy

that's not a surprise :pac:

Starburst85

I wouldnt get my teeth bleached. It increases sensitivity, if your daughter smokes or drinks tea / coffee, these all discolour the teeth erasing the work of the bleech leading to more bleaching, more sensitivity and more money...

Just go to the dentist and ask for a good clean or if she demands it then let the dentist do it just to be on safe side...:pac:

tomtom101

I dont see what the big deal about getting her teeth whitened so young... it promotes a healthy outlook on dental care if she wants to take care of her teeth!!

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I think people are confusing staining on the outside of the teeth from tea, coffee and such with the internal underlying colour of the teeth.

A perfectly clean tooth can still be very yellow, bleaching changes the colour of teeth from the inside, which cleaning cannot.