Staining question

[Fixmygrill]

I had my first trip to the dentist since getting braces (ouch) and my hygienist was shocked by the amount of staining I had. I think part of it was because my teeth are getting less overlapped so there are parts of them that haven't seen the light of day since the 80's, but there was quite a bit in other areas as well. I've read about Crest Prohealth causing staining, so have avoided that. I'm using Crest Complete Whitening with Scope toothpaste and Listerene TotalCare Zero mouthwash. Has anyone heard of those products causing staining?

[Toasty79]

I don't know either of those products, but I feel your pain! My front teeth and brackets got VERY stained from using Corsodyl mouthwash in the first few days (I only used it because I had an extraction). It looked awful. Had it blasted off yesterday and I'm now using Arm and Hammer baking soda toothpaste during the day and NO horrible Corsodyl.

I'm a bit para because I do like my tea and coffee and having given up most of my favourite foods I would struggle to give them up too.

[margarets]

What I've heard is that those whitening products can produce an uneven amount of whitening. I.e. it will whiten white parts and stained parts, but not so as to make them evenly white. The stained parts will still look darker than the white parts.

I recommend going easy on the whitening products and talking to your dentist about options for removing stains and reducing contrast between white and stained parts.

[starfish88]

I got my teeth whitened with a take home kit from my dentist 4 years ago and am so happy with the results. It whitened evenly and even helped hide some flouride marks. I'll certainly go for dentists whitening - either kit or chair after braces. With the kit they make the mould of your teeth so as long as you wear your retainers you can use them for top-ups. Shame I won't be able to save money by using my before braces moulds!

[snarfblat]

I didn't use mouthwash every day before braces, but after getting them I thought it'd be an excellent idea. I have the Damon clears on my top teeth, and the bottom not yet braced.

I got some of the Crest ProHealth from my dentist, so I started with that, and then bought some more. I drink coffee and tea and haven't changed my eating habits at all (tomato, curry, whatever). I have never brushed my teeth so much in my life. I use a waterpik and Sonicare toothbrush.

I noticed staining on the brackets (especially on the glue) and between teeth, which was getting worse. I read about the problems that some people were having with Crest ProHealth, so I stopped using it after one big bottle. I still have a full big bottle of the stuff. At Costco I saw the Listerine Total Zero and that looked good, so I bought the 2-pack of that. The staining was still getting worse. After finishing one bottle of the Listerine I stopped using mouthwash altogether. Once a week I've been brushing with a whitening toothpaste, otherwise I use regular Colgate Total.

I can say that after 2 weeks or so of not using mouthwash, and not changing my brushing habits at all, the staining that I had is about 95% gone. Almost all the grey/brown stains on the brackets, glue, and between teeth are gone.

Needless to say, I will not be using Crest ProHealth or Listerine Total Care Zero in the future. I might try the regular Listerine though, but will stay away from the Costco Bulk Packs of that one

I would be interested in your results if you decide to try avoiding those mouthwashes for a couple of weeks.

Good Luck!

[senate]

I became suspicious about Listerine Total Care Zero myself. When I first got my braces I went through a lot of it but still got staining particularly on the lower brackets. It doesn't work at all and once I went for my first hygienist appointment and got cleaned up I won't use it. The little inter-space brushes and orthodontic heads for my electric brush have done a better job without mouthwash. I did briefly try the peroxide 3% mouthwash trick but I wasn't convinced either way with that. I wish in England we could get that flossfish thing though but I will get a waterpik soon (its on my birthday present list) : )

[NICURN85]

Since I got my brackets and top wire I have been using ACT mouthwash for KIDS. Its good and I have not experienced any staining problems with it at all. I use the BubbleGum Flavor and it also has the fluoride in it. I also like how the bottle only lets you pour out the recommended 10mls. I guess they do this bc hey the mouthwash is intended for kids. So for so good with it.

[clockworkrabbit]

The hygiene products that contain peroxide do bleach unevenly - even the mouth tray + gel versions aren't 100%. It's probably best to go with a mildly abrasive paste vs gel to keep up with daily staining. I'm in love with my cheapo paste: Ultrabrite. It's much scrubbier than any big brand pastes, and the mint is strong and crisp, like an Altoid mint. The mouthwashes are good practice, but probably won't help or harm your staining. Peroxide opens the enamel pores over time, so eventually they can allow more staining than they are able to remove.

When they put braces on, they use an acidic wash to roughen up the surface so the brackets stick better. At this point, your enamel becomes really open and anything that could stain (coffee, wine, berries, colas, tea) gets a deep foothold. If you eat a lot of sugary or starchy foods, or acidic foods (carbonated drinks, juices, citrus) you may be exposing your teeth to way more acid than they're able to keep up with, which means stains penetrate more deeply. The only way to combat this is to brush immediately after each snack/meal to remove all of the offending ingredients or change your diet to eliminate most of these food items.

You can also get a higher floride paste from your dentist's office that you can use every other day or so. This will help rebuild your surface enamel faster so your natural stain barrier is less compromised. Just be warned that daily use over a long time might make them look a little more yellow.

[sirwired]

It's odd that the TotalCare Zero could cause staining. The normal cause of mouthwash staining is Cetyl Pyrindium Chloride, which is in ACT rinses, Cepacol, the much-maligned Crest ProHealth, and others. That TotalCare zero is just NaF and the normal antiseptic mix in regular Listerine.

For me, my hot tea was a super-stainer. During a bracket debond/rebond, I looked in the mirror and my teeth looked vile. Haven't had a single cup since.