SirWired's Guide to Mouthwashes and Toothpastes

[ALP]

I am trying to see pics need to post.

[Ravenclaw]

[quote="ALP"]I am trying to see pics need to post.[/quote]

LOL

[BlondeCam]

WOW! Thanks!

[LetsBraceIt]

Just bookmarked this. Thank you for taking the time to write all this information and as others have said, it's extremely helpful!!

[pitasyd]

This thread has been very helpful to me. I'll be getting braces in a month so I been preparing myself for the tools I'll need.

[IssaAnon]

Wow this post was super in depth. I didn't know there was so much to know about toothpaste and mouthwash.

[pteryxm]

Interesting read, thanks for the post!

[Dubzoo]

I've seen so much back and forth on whether or not to use whitening toothpaste while wearing braces. Is the whitening action really strong enough to make much of a difference and leave non-white squares on your teeth when your braces are removed? I would think since those spots aren't getting stained by food anyway it wouldn't matter, they'll be whiter anyway.

[EmilyTravels]

I've seen so much back and forth on whether or not to use whitening toothpaste while wearing braces. Is the whitening action really strong enough to make much of a difference and leave non-white squares on your teeth when your braces are removed? I would think since those spots aren't getting stained by food anyway it wouldn't matter, they'll be whiter anyway.

I'm really coming to the same conclusion. I think some of the super-duper "optic white" toothpastes are probably better to be avoided, but the typical whitening toothpastes are probably not a problem, especially since almost all toothpastes now tout "whitening" on their labels. I even read that in most cases, it's just fluoride that gives them their "whitening" power, and most, if not all toothpastes contain fluoride.

My teeth were whiter pre-braces anyway and have dulled some while in braces, so I think using whitening toothpaste might actually keep them even in color, rather than making the non-bracketed portions whiter than what is under the brackets. Probably depends a lot on the individual and their teeth to begin with, but it's just easier for orthos and techs to say "no whitening toothpaste" to keep it simple.