tooth whitening: so good or no good?
August 7, 2023 8:34 AM Subscribe
I'm considering going in for professional tooth whitening at my dentist, but the price tag has me really gunshy. Looking for peoples' experience with various tooth whitening techniques, and the results both short and long term.
My teeth are, per my dentist, pretty healthy and clean, and supposedly minimally stained (I'm a coffee drinker but also a diligent brusher). But they just seem quite dull and, I guess, yellow? or just very off-white? and it's especially noticeable on Zoom or in pictures.
The dentist suggested professional whitening so I would assume they think it would do some good -- but also they definitely are invested in me paying them hundreds of dollars so they WOULD say that.
I use whitestrips once or twice a year and see a little improvement each time but never a ton, which has me worried that maybe an expensive and uncomfortable whitening process might still do basically nothing. Is this a well-founded worry or in general do people not find that at-home whitening can do all that much? Is there something more effective in terms of at-home treatments that I don't know about?
In short, if you got your teeth whitened and it wasn't worth it, why not, or if it was worth it, why?
My teeth are, per my dentist, pretty healthy and clean, and supposedly minimally stained (I'm a coffee drinker but also a diligent brusher). But they just seem quite dull and, I guess, yellow? or just very off-white? and it's especially noticeable on Zoom or in pictures.
The dentist suggested professional whitening so I would assume they think it would do some good -- but also they definitely are invested in me paying them hundreds of dollars so they WOULD say that.
I use whitestrips once or twice a year and see a little improvement each time but never a ton, which has me worried that maybe an expensive and uncomfortable whitening process might still do basically nothing. Is this a well-founded worry or in general do people not find that at-home whitening can do all that much? Is there something more effective in terms of at-home treatments that I don't know about?
In short, if you got your teeth whitened and it wasn't worth it, why not, or if it was worth it, why?
I do not personally believe it's worth it, and I have a dentist in the family and could get my teeth whitened for free.
Get a tube of this 5 minute plus white gel. It will cost approximately $6 and should be available at your drug store.
Put it in your shower, along with a toothbrush.
Make it part of your shower routine. Brush it on, shampoo, condition, bathe, rinse and spit, and move on with your life.
You will have whiter teeth within just a few days, it will cost very little, and it'll barely disrupt your life.
posted by phunniemee at 8:52 AM on August 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
Get a tube of this 5 minute plus white gel. It will cost approximately $6 and should be available at your drug store.
Put it in your shower, along with a toothbrush.
Make it part of your shower routine. Brush it on, shampoo, condition, bathe, rinse and spit, and move on with your life.
You will have whiter teeth within just a few days, it will cost very little, and it'll barely disrupt your life.
posted by phunniemee at 8:52 AM on August 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
Response by poster: Oh, and one other thing which I meant to ask in the body of the question: When I'm seeing coworkers etc. with very white teeth is it more likely that they have some kind of veneers?
(This question born of learning about the ubiquity of Botox, shapewear, and hair extensions in my circles of acquaintances -- so many things I thought were just my face/body/hair being exceptionally crappy turned out to be massive interventions I just didn't know about. Maybe nice white teeth are also!)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:54 AM on August 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
(This question born of learning about the ubiquity of Botox, shapewear, and hair extensions in my circles of acquaintances -- so many things I thought were just my face/body/hair being exceptionally crappy turned out to be massive interventions I just didn't know about. Maybe nice white teeth are also!)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:54 AM on August 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Veneers are added to match the colour of the teeth around them. Unless someone got a mouth full of veneers -- really f'n expensive -- I'd say no, they just get regular whitening.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:21 AM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:21 AM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
I did it professionally once. Wasn’t impressed with the results.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 9:23 AM on August 7, 2023
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 9:23 AM on August 7, 2023
How are you seeing your coworkers? In person? Or over video. Many MANY camera settings are auto/default set with a filter that whitens teeth (in addition to other subtle things like skin blurring).
posted by phunniemee at 9:32 AM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by phunniemee at 9:32 AM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
(This question born of learning about the ubiquity of Botox, shapewear, and hair extensions in my circles of acquaintances -- so many things I thought were just my face/body/hair being exceptionally crappy turned out to be massive interventions I just didn't know about. Maybe nice white teeth are also!)
I think that stuff is very common among professional workers who have the income to afford it (of course) and surgical and non-surgical options have gone down pretty dramatically in price in the past decade, and plenty of people have some kind of access through spouses and friends where it's close to free. As an example, I saw a deal for a medical hair replacement for $6k, which used to be $10-15k. You can get Botox shots for less than $100.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:23 AM on August 7, 2023
I think that stuff is very common among professional workers who have the income to afford it (of course) and surgical and non-surgical options have gone down pretty dramatically in price in the past decade, and plenty of people have some kind of access through spouses and friends where it's close to free. As an example, I saw a deal for a medical hair replacement for $6k, which used to be $10-15k. You can get Botox shots for less than $100.
posted by The_Vegetables at 10:23 AM on August 7, 2023
I had my teeth bleached professionally for the first time 2.5 years ago. My rationale was that I was about to have an implant fitted in a visible spot. That entails the dentist colour matching your teeth so the implant blends in nicely…the lighter your own teeth, the lighter the implant. I didn’t want a yellow implant because that would look odd if I get my teeth bleached again later.
I was fairly impressed with the results. I drink coffee and red wine, I eat curries and tomato based dishes. So my teeth are getting more stained again to the point where they look more yellow than I like with certain lipsticks. So I am contemplating getting it done again although they are still lighter than they were when I went in last time.
In terms of costs I am looking at this in terms of period of benefit. By the time I actually get a bleaching scheduled it will probably be about three years since the last one. So it’s like a nice pair of glasses except that your teeth a visible all the time but you may only need to wear the glasses for certain things. In any given year, I spend more getting my hair done. For reference, my hair style is quite short and needs reshaping every six weeks and highlights refreshing every three months.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:54 AM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was fairly impressed with the results. I drink coffee and red wine, I eat curries and tomato based dishes. So my teeth are getting more stained again to the point where they look more yellow than I like with certain lipsticks. So I am contemplating getting it done again although they are still lighter than they were when I went in last time.
In terms of costs I am looking at this in terms of period of benefit. By the time I actually get a bleaching scheduled it will probably be about three years since the last one. So it’s like a nice pair of glasses except that your teeth a visible all the time but you may only need to wear the glasses for certain things. In any given year, I spend more getting my hair done. For reference, my hair style is quite short and needs reshaping every six weeks and highlights refreshing every three months.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:54 AM on August 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
one thing to consider is how sensitive your teeth are. i have VERY sensitive teeth and won't do the in-office zoom type stuff. however the dentist gave me some bleach stuff for like 20$ and it doesn't hurt my teeth as long as i don't get it on my gums and it works well. better than the strips and toothpaste by far. that is another option you could consider. unfortunately, how your teeth look impacts what people think of you in the us, so i would do it.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:57 AM on August 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by misanthropicsarah at 11:57 AM on August 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I think that stuff is very common among professional workers who have the income to afford it (of course) and surgical and non-surgical options have gone down pretty dramatically in price in the past decade
Yes to be clear I am now aware of how common Botox/extensions/etc are among the middle class and professional class; as someone who wasn't a member of those classes until recently, though, I legit just thought all of my friends and coworkers had naturally unlined skin and full, thick hair that naturally grew six inches in a couple months. (Before you ask, no, I'm not very smart!)
So it wouldn't shock me to learn that they also have mouths full of expensive cosmetic dentistry either, which is why I ask.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:00 PM on August 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yes to be clear I am now aware of how common Botox/extensions/etc are among the middle class and professional class; as someone who wasn't a member of those classes until recently, though, I legit just thought all of my friends and coworkers had naturally unlined skin and full, thick hair that naturally grew six inches in a couple months. (Before you ask, no, I'm not very smart!)
So it wouldn't shock me to learn that they also have mouths full of expensive cosmetic dentistry either, which is why I ask.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:00 PM on August 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm a daily coffee drinker and drink red wine. After my braces came off, there was a visible differential between where my teeth were exposed and where they were covered by orthodontia. I used the Colgate paint on bleach from the drugstore (don't know if they still make it) to even them out and then bleach the whole tooth. the results were phenomenal. I used store branded strips before my wedding three years later for a touch up. Again, amazing. Could professional bleaching have gotten them whiter? Possibly, but i was quite satisfied with the cheaper store options. Anymore, and i think i would have looked like Ross from that episode of Friends. So don't discount that option!
posted by BlueBear at 1:20 PM on August 7, 2023
posted by BlueBear at 1:20 PM on August 7, 2023
In-office Zoom is worth it if you don't think you can be consistent with a cheaper protocol. It will give you a huge improvement in just an hour.
You can buy Nitewhite 22% very affordably and apply it to at-home trays for an hour a night, but it will take a month or so for similar results.
posted by bangles at 2:08 PM on August 7, 2023
You can buy Nitewhite 22% very affordably and apply it to at-home trays for an hour a night, but it will take a month or so for similar results.
posted by bangles at 2:08 PM on August 7, 2023
So it wouldn't shock me to learn that they also have mouths full of expensive cosmetic dentistry either, which is why I ask.
They do, in terms of braces and the associated surgeries (wisdom teeth removal, etc) which was done when they were teens.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:35 AM on August 8, 2023
They do, in terms of braces and the associated surgeries (wisdom teeth removal, etc) which was done when they were teens.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:35 AM on August 8, 2023
« Older Do dress shirts shrink at the neck over the long... | Question about filing an amicus brief for a... Newer »
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
The biggest downside to me was it cleans out the 'pores' in your teeth, and you can feel cold air blow through them, and it's painful for a few days, and weird for a while after that. Like every winter breath is a blast of mint.
I have never done it a 2nd time.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:45 AM on August 7, 2023