Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi. So in November I had my wisdom teeth taken out and was prescribed a mouthwash with chlorhexidine to help prevent infections/bacteria. I hadn't read the side effects and wasn't told how long to use it for. So I ended up using it for 2 weeks. This unfortunately has resulted in me having brown areas on some of my teeth which makes me feel pretty embarrassed. The hygienist commented on my brown spots in January when I went for a cleaning asking me if I drink a lot of tea and coffee (I don't, I drink less tea in college than I did in high school and I'm not big coffee drinker). When I got home, I realized what the real culprit was, the mouthwash.

Is there any way after braces that I can fix this? Or am I now pretty much doomed forever?

I'm so upset with how some areas of my teeth now look.

The polishing during your tooth cleaning should have taken care of the CHG stains. It's not like tetracycline taken as a baby which stains teeth for life.

sirwired wrote:The polishing during your tooth cleaning should have taken care of the CHG stains. It's not like tetracycline taken as a baby which stains teeth for life.

Thanks sirwired! I think my hygienist couldn't reach all the areas as the spots affected are under the wires and around the brackets. She said it was coming off as she was polishing them, but she was running behind schedule so she was rushing to get it done.
Would that mean that it would still be possible for them to get the staining off later on after my treatment is over? (which could be this year or next). I'm sure they could get more off if only my wires and brackets weren't there.

Yes, the staining is removable at any time.

On another note, I would complain to the dentist if the hygienist did a rush job and didn't get everything possible. (Mine used a special smaller polishing tip while I was in braces.) Her schedule shouldn't be your problem.

Some members have also arranged to have the wire removed, their teeth cleaned, and the wire put back in all in the same day. If your ortho and dentist are close to each other, you might be able to do this.

sirwired wrote:Yes, the staining is removable at any time.

On another note, I would complain to the dentist if the hygienist did a rush job and didn't get everything possible. (Mine used a special smaller polishing tip while I was in braces.) Her schedule shouldn't be your problem.

Some members have also arranged to have the wire removed, their teeth cleaned, and the wire put back in all in the same day. If your ortho and dentist are close to each other, you might be able to do this.

Awesome!

Yeah, this hygienist is super friendly and talks a lot, and sometimes loses her place because she stops. She's been working at that office for over 20 years, and has always been that way.
I'll have to see next time if my ortho would let me do that. They're about 10 minutes away from each other, so it may not be a problem.

Thanks again for answering. I really appreciate it!

It's not the same as a hygienist clean, but I always used to take my electric toothbrush with me to adjustments and ask if I could brush for 2 minutes while the wire was off! They always let me, and it helped me feel like I was getting a better clean every 4-6 weeks or so.

And I totally agree - chlorhexidine staining is a pain. Some variants are less staining than others though - Eludril stains much less than Corsodyl as it has a slightly different active ingredient. If you need to use it for gum issues, then it's worth asking about the least staining version!

cs2thecox wrote:It's not the same as a hygienist clean, but I always used to take my electric toothbrush with me to adjustments and ask if I could brush for 2 minutes while the wire was off! They always let me, and it helped me feel like I was getting a better clean every 4-6 weeks or so.

And I totally agree - chlorhexidine staining is a pain. Some variants are less staining than others though - Eludril stains much less than Corsodyl as it has a slightly different active ingredient. If you need to use it for gum issues, then it's worth asking about the least staining version!

Good idea with the electric tooth brush suggestion. I'm not sure how I'd carry my electric tooth brush in without looking strange though. Haha. My purse is pretty tiny.
Yes, the staining is awful! I kind of wish I didn't use it. That's great to know though there's a less staining version should I ever need it!

Thanks for the suggestion and tip!

Hi,
This happened to me. I had orthognathic surgery, and of course the residents at the hospital discharged me on this mouthwash. I was told to finish the entire 2 bottles I was given (an RX for one, and the bottle from the hospital went home with me)!!!!

That was like, 4-5 weeks of staining at least. I was so freaking upset because I cleaned my teeth like a maniac - even when I shouldn't have immediately after surgery.

I was soooo upset. Anyway, my dentist cleaned my teeth with some sort of ultrasonic stain remover? I'm not sure, but as soon as I told them it was chlorhexidine staining they knew exactly what to do.

They also recommended SuperSmile products. Which have really, really helped. They are the only "OTC" (I have to special order them) products that help with this sort of staining.

This happened to me! The hygenist cleaned as much and she could and when the Ortho did his adjustment he cleaned between my teeth when the wire was removed. Don't worry it's reversible xx

I now use Colgate whitening toothpaste once a day and that helps break down the stains. X

Thank you both for your replies!

Melusine you poor thing I can't even imagine having to use that stuff for 4-5 weeks. Ugh. So sorry. I read online about the SuperSmile products, I may have to get those sometime.

BraceFace2115, I'm glad your ortho helped out by cleaning them as well. and thanks for the reassurance and toothpaste suggestion.

Thank you all for helping ease my fears about this. I was sure it was permanent and was pretty down about it, but now I'm not. thank goodness for the Archwired community.

Honestly don't worry like I did.... My tooth was turning grey from the stains and like we do I googled "Grey Tooth" loads of info about my tooth dying and falling out!! I cried for days!!!! Lesson learnt don't google any symptoms and no more horrible mouthwash!! It will be fine

You can also whiten your teeth using trays after braces are off, and that should take care of what doesn't get removed by your dentist. I get nasty staining in any circumstances, and this was my experience (before braces).

Same exact thing happened to me!! I can't believe this crap is still on the market!! Nothing worked for me I went back to my dentist and he had to scrap my teeth for an hour grrrrr they didn't charge me since their the ones that suggested I use it in the first place lol