How do you keep your teeth white? can we use baking soda??

[Ellebraced]

Hi everyone

I have had my braces for 18 days now. I am using my waterpik, flossing, brushing lots, mouth wash but my teeth are looking stained.

Right before I got my braces on I discovered the ORAL B polishing toothbrush, this thing is amazing, got rid of all my coffee / tea stains but I can not use it with braces (it says DO NOT USE with BRACES) soooooooooo..........

My question is can we use baking soda??
Is there a toothpaste that seems to be better?
I have ceramic on top and the glue holding the brackets on looked stained. Can they remove some of the noticeable glue at my next appointment?

I have been bad drinking soda (with a straw) during the holidays and coffee in the am, no green tea for awhile now.

Or do I just have to put up with this???

Thanks

Elle

[Snowglobe32]

When I first got my braces, the glue around my ceramics made my teeth look yellow. But that didn't last very long, maybe from brushing, not sure. I don't know if this is the case for anyone but my ceramic teeth look a lot whiter than my teeth with the metal brackets.

I have used baking soda before, not sure if it did anything.

What kind of mouthwash are you using? I have seen some comments in other threads where people say certain mouthwash stains their teeth.

I use Colgate Total toothpaste and Act Total Care (blue). I haven't had any problems at all.

[blackapple]

I don't know about anyone else but I continue to brush with baking soda before using regular toothpaste. I have always done this so I continue with it. My regular dentist never says anything about not doing it( she knows I do it) I never told the orthodontist I was doing it. My teeth were extremely white before braces but I swear they look yellow and I am willing to bet it's residue from the glue. I am getting mine whitened after the braces are removed.

[katiemcb09]

I used to be addicted to Crest baking soda and peroxide toothpaste. It kept my teeth super white before braces, but now that I'm investing in my teeth, I bought the Crest Pro Health Whitening. My dentist said the old one didn't have any health benefits other than basic brushing, and this will protect against plaque, etc. I'm hopeful about the Pro Health one. Since we all end up brushing so much, maybe you could use the baking soda one twice a day and your regular one twice a day?

[ashesgap]

I'm sorry to say but the Pro-Health line is well known to stain. I was using the mouthwash and i ended up with bright orange looking stains between all my brackets on my bottom teeth. My hygienist had to power wash my teeth with a water baking soda sprayer. Luckily they all came clean. If you look up Pro-Health online you'll see a lot of posts about the staining. It says with proper brushing the stains can be avoided, but of course brushing between brackets isn't the easiest. One of the main ingredients is the main cause. I switched back to a regular crest paste and Listerine mouthwash. No more stains.

[Ellebraced]

Thanks for the info. guys

Ashesgap thats crazy about the orange thing........ My teeth seem really orange.... I know the prohealth toothpaste made me have sores or something weird BEFORE i had braces so I told my husband to use it ....LOL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME KNOW!!!

I am using about 7 different brands of toothpaste I know I am trying to find one that works LOL

Crest prohealth..... was using but not after that info.
Colgate sensitive and whitening ......hygienist told me was good
Arm and Hammer Sensitive.... I like
Arm and Hammer Sensitive gel.... I like
Aquafresh white and shine (just bought today)
Sensodyne multi action in the canister thing .......don't like
Colgate total

I used to only be a crest girl but as you can tell I have been experimental lately

Using mouthwashes.......

Crest prohealth ....leaves all these annoying chunks everywhere...will not be using now
Oral b.... hygienist said to use because has more fluoride
Listerine......good old listerine, hurts like a son of a B***h but it works

So I think I will be ditching the Crest prohealth line and trying some baking soda. I don't want to over brush or irritate my mouth any more than it needs to be.

Thanks for the advice. I will let you know if it improves

[ashesgap]

You're right about the canister one...I tried the Aquafresh IsoActive. It was disgusting. I swear it was like brushing with shaving cream, the way it starts as a gel and then foams. Just awful. I used it once and tossed it. The crest w/scope is what i'm using now. I'd like something that makes my mouth feel a little fresher though. Let me know which of your many you like the best.

[Ellebraced]

Hi guys

I stopped using the CREST pro health line of toothpaste and mouthwash and it seems A LOT better.

Not very orangey at all now. I have used baking soda 1x a day sprinkled on my toothpaste and it seems to help.

I think if I can get the extra glue removed that looks stained I will be very happy with the colour for the next 905 days

Thanks for the tips!!!

Elle

[katiemcb09]

Wowww I never knew that about Crest ProHealth... but a quick google search shows tons of stories! I'm using the toothpaste right now and haven't noticed any color changes. But I bought a huge bottle of the mouthwash and haven't opened it, that's going right back to Kroger!

[uvraise]

I guess I'll be responding to your posts on here as well as the Iphone App! I use A&H baking soda all the time. I usually use colgate whitening on my brush then sprinkle it with the baking soda. I've been doing this for as long as I can remember. My teeth are very white with no stains. Although, I'm always looking to get them whiter. They say they get to a point of transparency from too much. Hope that helps!

[Ionika]

i asked my Ortho about baking soda

she said that apart from being more abrashive it doesnt do much,
but that i couldnt use it more then once a week...

hope this helps

[Ellebraced]

Hi everyone

Just wanted to warn any newbies again and let you know what the company emailed me back when I asked why my teeth were stained from CREST PRO HEALTH mouthwash

They replied...

Like all mouthwashes that effectively fight plaque and gingivitis, Crest Pro-Health Rinse can contribute to temporary, surface-level brown tooth discoloration, which is reported by a small percentage of people.
•Tooth discoloration is actually a sign your mouthwash is working.
•After it kills germs in your mouth, the dead germs could collect on the tooth surface and create the appearance of a brown stain.
•The discoloration could also be exaggerated by many other factors, such as existing tartar on teeth, drinking coffee, tea, red wine, or tobacco use.
•Brown discoloration is reversible and largely preventable.
•For best results, we recommend a tartar-control/whitening toothpaste, a power toothbrush, floss, and regular dental visits.

I threw mine out and will be warning anyone I know to avoid this product.

Elle

[sadface]

I have the same issue.

I've had my orthodontist drill off some excess glue, got him to polish my teeth at my appointments many times... and it looks fine for like 2 days.

As soon as the mods start staining the teeth look gross.

I have ceramic on top and metal on the bottom and my bottom teeth always always always look white.


I've come to the conclusion that i've just gotta wait it out til my debracing :/