Question:
Which 'teeth'whitening' is best for you?
Answer:
Used to be, if you brushed and flossed, you were way ahead of the smile curve.
Today, it's a lot more complicated. There's a dizzying array of ways to whiten
your teeth, many with an unattractive price tag.
Regardless of the cost, tons of New Yorkers are biting — some, over and over
again. "We call them bleachaholics," says Dr. Jeff Golub-Evans, a cosmetic
dentist and owner of the SmileOasis on E. 71st St., about the women who return
three or four times a year to his "spa."
But despite the glitz and glimmer of even the swankiest dental spas, there are
no guarantees. Gray stains, for example, especially those from the drug
tetracycline, are impossible to remove. And some teeth, gray or not, will never
be white.
"Bleaching is not very predictable," says Dr. John Calamia, a professor and
director of esthetics in operative dentistry at the New York University Dental
Center. "Some teeth are thicker than others and permeability is different."
Worse yet, if teeth are weak, the procedure could actually harm them. "I reject
about 15% of patients," says Golub-Evans. "Not everybody is a candidate." And
unless you can prove that a nondazzling smile is hazardous to your health,
insurance won't pay. Whitening toothpastes and chewing gums can help to remove
a small amount of stains, but teeth won't get that dazzling shade unless you
make a serious bleaching effort.
Whitestrips are *phenomenal.* I think dentists must be behind all these
recent articles on "the many methods of teeth bleaching." My
Whitestrips results are just as good as my sister's peroxide-tray
results, and for about 7% of the cost. But you certainly won't see this
kind of comment in these articles!
I agree. I tried the laser whitening a few years ago...very expensive with
literally no noticeable difference! And extreme sensitivity for a couple
weeks.
I was amazed at how well the Crest Whitestrips worked when I tried them for
the first time. It was like bad commercial, the number of times people
commented: "Your teeth are so white!"
I'm in the process of getting porcelain crowns on all
my front teeth. Top teeth are done, will start the
bottom ones in the Fall. Costs a lot, but insurance
does cover a bit of it.
