Metal Mouth Message Board

I've been pondering this, so I thought I'd see if anyone has any opinions...

Should I whiten my teeth BEFORE i get braces? As it stands now with my horrible mess of a mouth, yellowish teeth are really the least of my problems. But if i don't do it now, I won't be able to do it for 3+ years.

Would braces (probably all metal smartclips) look better with whiter teeth, or does it really matter?

I'm torn... maybe i'll just go to the drugstore and get some white strips or something...

In my opinion, I think you should whiten your teeth AFTER the braces come off. Why would you only be able to get your teeth whitened now or 3 years later? If it's personal, I understand. I also took into consideration that you said you have a "mess of a mouth". If you have bite problems, crowding etc(not saying anyone with it has a "mess of a mouth") then your treatment time should be about 3 years or more, meaning you can get your teeth whitened in 3 years w/o waiting any long period of time. I haven't really had a problem with the color of my teeth before I started seeing actually WHITE teeth, but whitening tooth pastes and gels have worked pretty well. I personally like the rembrandt whitening gel tubes. Best wishes.

BEFORE! If there's one thing I regret, it's NOT whitening my teeth before braces. I started off yellow, and it's just getting worse. viewtopic.php?t=6174

is where you can see pics... I have staining issues. Go ahead and whiten them before, and if need be you can always whiten them afterwards. Good luck!

Hey Brace MD, do you change you tooth brush often and brush at least 2x a day pointing down toward the top of your braces and up facing the bottom of your braces? My teeth started to get a little "dingy" looking when i just brush from side to side, but once I started that technique I got my regular color back(which isn't yellow) and am maintaing it after 5+ months. Teeth don't have to yellow during the braced process.

I believe I do that, but I will pay close attention from now on. I have a bad soda and coffee habit, so my teeth have not been "white" for some time now. My pics are a bit deceptive because the lighting makes it look like they're just getting worse and worse, when in reality they're not getting THAT much different from before.

Personally, I would get some white strips or something beforehand & save the whitening costs for after the braces come off-They will look great! Good luck!

I whitened my teeh (professionally, by my dentist) before I got my braces. BUT, at the time, I didn't know I would be getting braces. I whitened them about 2 years after I got mine off the first time. The first thing everyone says to me to this day, even with my braces on, is omg your teeth are so white! someone the other day was like oh you need blinders for those! (and they arent that ugly white where its too white or anything) it just makes me feel a lot better knowing that my teeth are white. I'd do strips or something. you'll be happier i think

Those strips... Would they fit across across your teeth well? If your teeth are crooked, doesnt that mean only some bits will get white while the rest stays the same colour.

I reckon its best to get braced first. Then get a professional whitening afterwards.

If you want to whiten them before you get braces, I would recommend that you stop whitening at least 3 weeks before getting the brackets on. This way, if your teeth or gums get sensitive from the whitening gel, you'll give them adequate time to "recover."

Also, check out the ArchWired page about whitening products:

http://www.archwired.com/tooth_whitening.htm