Question:
I've heard a lot of warnings about teeth whiteners, and that I should go
see a dentist for treatment, but I don't want to have to pay hundreds of
dollars if something at the local Walgreens can help me for fifteen dollars. I
was wondering if anybody could explain the different ingredients in teeth
whiteners. If you can recommend any good brands that aren't "over-night"
treatments, that would help to.
Answer:
A couple of the OTC brands which contain special toothpaste are rumored to
contain white pigment (think paint). Or try a bottle of "white-out"--no
stop that was a joke.
Sounds like you want a magic fix that will instantly change the color of
your teeth and cost nothing. Good luck hunting. Let us know if you find
one that does half of what it claims to do.
BTW, read the box claims carefully. Most claims are so vague that they
actually say nothing at all. Remember the claims: "fights plaque", "helps
promote", "is part of a ....", "whitening", etc all mean NOTHING. These are
all designed to quickly give you the impression that the product does
something specific, while at the same time not claiming to do anything so
the FDA doesn't ask the manufacturer to prove it.
The difference between off the shelf tooth whitening systems and dentist
prescribed ones are the amount of active ingredient they are allowed to
contain. Hydrogen peroxide levels of 'non dentist' products in the UK can
only have a max. of 1% whereas the ones we use can have up to 40%. You'll
get there eventually with the 1% stuff (so they can claim whiter teeth) but
only the dentist can supply the quick results you desire.
Dentists out there may wish to try Opalescence Quick (35%). I'm not trying
to sell it but I've never seen anything work so well or so quick (30 min in
chair) Don't let it get onto soft tissues though as they'll be A1 shade in
two seconds flat.
