Teeth Woes
July 1, 2012 6:01 PM Subscribe
Can I use a teeth whitener after wisdom teeth surgery? Kinda gross details inside.
I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed a month ago, but there are still holes (top and bottom, both sides. They don't hurt.) Now I leave in four days for a long trip abroad and my mom has been badgering to whiten my teeth before I go. I would be using Tanda Pearl, which takes five days.
Basically I am wondering if using this gel would be safe, considering it would probably get in a hole and I would have to flush it out (ah, the joys of modern dentistry). I think the problem chemical is peroxide. Plus I have sensitive teeth, but that is a whole other ball of wax.
Has anyone done this with success/failure? Should I do it before I go? Is it worth bringing the Tanda Pearl with me to do it while I am on my trip? (I really don't want to but...) Or should I suck it up and deal with slightly yellow teeth. For kicks, I am headed to England.
I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed a month ago, but there are still holes (top and bottom, both sides. They don't hurt.) Now I leave in four days for a long trip abroad and my mom has been badgering to whiten my teeth before I go. I would be using Tanda Pearl, which takes five days.
Basically I am wondering if using this gel would be safe, considering it would probably get in a hole and I would have to flush it out (ah, the joys of modern dentistry). I think the problem chemical is peroxide. Plus I have sensitive teeth, but that is a whole other ball of wax.
Has anyone done this with success/failure? Should I do it before I go? Is it worth bringing the Tanda Pearl with me to do it while I am on my trip? (I really don't want to but...) Or should I suck it up and deal with slightly yellow teeth. For kicks, I am headed to England.
my mom has been badgering to whiten my teeth before I go
Tell your mom you're bringing the tooth whitener with you to England, drop it in a trash can on the way to the airport, and never think of it again. Problem solved.
posted by ook at 6:07 PM on July 1, 2012 [10 favorites]
Tell your mom you're bringing the tooth whitener with you to England, drop it in a trash can on the way to the airport, and never think of it again. Problem solved.
posted by ook at 6:07 PM on July 1, 2012 [10 favorites]
Best answer: Plus I have sensitive teeth, but that is a whole other ball of wax.
It is actually the same ball of wax! Tooth whitener causes tooth sensitivity.
I am headed to England.
Yeah, um, don't bother whitening your teeth. While the horrors of British oral care are wildly exaggerated on this side of the pond, they are, at their core, based on fact.
posted by Sys Rq at 6:34 PM on July 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
It is actually the same ball of wax! Tooth whitener causes tooth sensitivity.
I am headed to England.
Yeah, um, don't bother whitening your teeth. While the horrors of British oral care are wildly exaggerated on this side of the pond, they are, at their core, based on fact.
posted by Sys Rq at 6:34 PM on July 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
Tooth whitener does cause sensitivity. I'm inclined to think this could be fine, but I AM NOT A DENTIST and I say this only because I think you should call your dentist and ask.
Why don't you use whitening strips instead? I mean, still ASK YOUR DENTIST but it would prevent the need to flush gel out of the sockets.
And yes, I use tooth whiteners and they make my already-sensitive teeth crazy sensitive. But I use them every other day instead of every day and brush with Sensodyne, and that mitigates almost all the discomfort.
posted by stoneandstar at 6:40 PM on July 1, 2012
Why don't you use whitening strips instead? I mean, still ASK YOUR DENTIST but it would prevent the need to flush gel out of the sockets.
And yes, I use tooth whiteners and they make my already-sensitive teeth crazy sensitive. But I use them every other day instead of every day and brush with Sensodyne, and that mitigates almost all the discomfort.
posted by stoneandstar at 6:40 PM on July 1, 2012
Best answer: I wouldn't think the peroxide would be a problem - after all we use it to clean wounds so it's not like it will do horrible things to the flesh. FWIW I have a whitening mouthwash and used it a few days after having my wisdom teeth out and didn't notice any issues. I have not used my gel (PlusWhite), but that's been part laziness and part other dental issues.
However, I've never used the product you've mentioned, and I agree with the above posters. If you are fine with how your teeth look and are worried about the effects, just skip it. You don't want to risk potential pain for little gain.
Or perhaps you can get your mom to spring for another product - Crest White Strips, for example. This way you can make sure the whitening product stays away from your sockets.
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 6:44 PM on July 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
However, I've never used the product you've mentioned, and I agree with the above posters. If you are fine with how your teeth look and are worried about the effects, just skip it. You don't want to risk potential pain for little gain.
Or perhaps you can get your mom to spring for another product - Crest White Strips, for example. This way you can make sure the whitening product stays away from your sockets.
posted by Lt. Bunny Wigglesworth at 6:44 PM on July 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Definitely not going to do it, although I may try strips in the future. Thanks for all the great (rational) answers!
posted by tooloudinhere at 7:04 PM on July 1, 2012
posted by tooloudinhere at 7:04 PM on July 1, 2012
Hydrogen peroxide is not so good for wound healing, because it will kill healthy tissue next to the wound, and cells attempting to make repairs.
If there's bacteria there, it might be a net win for wound healing (if infection has spread below the surface however, the hydrogen peroxide won't get to it), but it'll take longer to heal.
Uh, this'll have to do as a cite:
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-12/opinion/vreeman.carroll.medical.myths_1_hydrogen-peroxide-wound-healing-vitamin?_s=PM:OPINION
So yeah. Avoid the whitening while your gums are healing!
And, especially given you are going to England, skip the bleaching. You won't stand out.
To most non-American cultures, healthy teeth should not be yellow or discolored, but they are not paper-white either. Healthy tooth color is literally, Ivory. Clean teeth in that colour range look fine in most places in the world.
The just- or over-bleached look can be just a leetle bit creepy, and combined with fake-tan, ironically goes right back round to a lower-class signifier. Think Jersey Shore, and chavs.
(I find that kinda fascinating)
posted by Elysum at 8:19 PM on July 1, 2012
If there's bacteria there, it might be a net win for wound healing (if infection has spread below the surface however, the hydrogen peroxide won't get to it), but it'll take longer to heal.
Uh, this'll have to do as a cite:
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-12/opinion/vreeman.carroll.medical.myths_1_hydrogen-peroxide-wound-healing-vitamin?_s=PM:OPINION
So yeah. Avoid the whitening while your gums are healing!
And, especially given you are going to England, skip the bleaching. You won't stand out.
To most non-American cultures, healthy teeth should not be yellow or discolored, but they are not paper-white either. Healthy tooth color is literally, Ivory. Clean teeth in that colour range look fine in most places in the world.
The just- or over-bleached look can be just a leetle bit creepy, and combined with fake-tan, ironically goes right back round to a lower-class signifier. Think Jersey Shore, and chavs.
(I find that kinda fascinating)
posted by Elysum at 8:19 PM on July 1, 2012
I've used Rembrandt whitening gel about 2 months after having a molar removed with no ill effects. Not recommending you do it, especially since you have sensitive teeth, but my anecdote suggests it should be OK.
posted by k8lin at 8:28 PM on July 1, 2012
posted by k8lin at 8:28 PM on July 1, 2012
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posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:05 PM on July 1, 2012