Teeth whitening after braces?

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#1 Post by **ebruce25** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:12 pm

Anybody else besides me dreaming of teeth whitening after braces? I have another 10-12 months to go until mine are removed. I'm considering the bleaching trays provided by your dentist - I was told my orthodontist usually doesn't do teeh whitening but the assistant said if I ask he'll order it for me and only charge me half price. BUT I think I may opt for the Brite White 1 hr whitening thingy. Pricey as it may be.. I've paid this much so far. Why not. Any thoughts? Know anybody whose had the 1 hr whitening done? I hope the moderators don't mind this posting here... seems to receive the most hits.

#2 Post by **KJM** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:22 am

ebruce25 I am definately looking forward to whitening my teeth when I am done.
My hubby has the trays that you get from the dentist- they worked great. I found a site online that sells the refills for much cheaper than the dentist office as well so I will order mine from there.
In my area they are running specials for Zoom for $300 so its not really much more than the trays ( actually that is what my hubby paid for his trays and the first kit!) so cost is about the same.
I dont know anyone that has acutally had it though so I cant tell you if its better or not- sorry!

#3 Post by **VS26** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:45 am

hi.I did in office 1hour whitening .The first time it was about 3 years ago( I did REMBRANDT WHITENING) and then i did ZOOM whitening about 1 year ago.I can tell you it was the best thing i have ever done--my teeth became 10 shades whiter.And the good thing that they will never become as yellow as they were before.You will experience some sensitivity in your teeth but it only lasts couple of days.After i will be done with my braces i will definately do the whitening again.About trays--i think that 1 hour in office whitening is so much better.You need to wear the trays at home for several hours every day i think for 10 days or even 2 weeks( i am not sure) and your teeth can become very sensitive!!!
ok,good luck,bye.if you have any questions i will be happy to answer.(sorry for mistakes IN ENGLISH--i am russian living in USA

)

#4 Post by **fitchick** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:01 pm

Yes definitely! Teeth whitening is going to be my reward to myself for getting to the end of my treatment. I'm a long way off at the moment though, so its all just a dream for now.

Julie

#5 Post by **rsprouse** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:35 pm

it works and you should reward yourself on completion of ortho treatment. An in office whitening is a good start if you are in a hurry to see results. Many offices include in the fee for whitening a set of custom whitening trays and material for after your in office session. I personally recommend custom trays to patients as it gives you the most flexibility. You can control how white (to a certain extent) your teeth will get. If you are happy with your shade, then wear them once every couple weeks to maintain the current shade. If you want lighter then wear them more frequently. Also, sensitivity is less intense in typical situations for trays. If you go the in office approach, may I suggest you brush with a sensitivity toothpaste (Sensodyne or similar) for at least a week before your appointment. The day of take a couple ibruprofren or other OTC pain med before the procedure to help alleviate any discomfort. This should minimize any problems and help you enjoy the situation. Good luck.

Best,
Rory

#6 Post by **rsprouse** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 8:02 pm

If it was truly demineralization then it would most likely be dark colored like a coffee stain. Re-mineralization is a good thing and prevents decay from developing. Are you talking white spots (calcification spots) or a blend of white lines? If you have white spots then yes, they will typically be a little lighter than the rest of the tooth. White lines should blend well with whitening in most cases. Unless you have a plethora of spots then I wouldn't worry about it. Worst case is that you have to drink a lot of soda or coffee right after whitening to get back to the "old you"

#7 Post by **Betty Bat** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 8:06 pm

Rsprouse -
I just wanted to say that I love the answers that you give!

#8 Post by **pk_girl** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:42 am

I am going to use so much whitening toothpaste after they (braces) come off. I dont like the fact that if you use the whitening toothpaste during, that you will get dark spots where your brackets were.

#9 Post by **Echo** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:31 pm

I was horrified with how my son's teeth looked after he got his braces off, they looked so dark and dirty, except where the brackets were. I couldn't get him a dental cleaning appointment for about a month, so I bought some Rembrandt Intense Stain toothpaste. We saw results immediately. He has been using it for a few weeks, and his teeth look ten times better than when he got the braces off. He drinks a lot of soda, so that must be why his teeth looked so gross. He wants to have his teeth whitened, so we will look into that at the cleaning appointment.