Great question for you today from Jane:
Do any whitening toothpastes actually work?? I think the gradual dulling must be due to age *groan*, as there isn’t any staining as I don’t drink tea, coffee or red wine!
Anyone?
Great question for you today from Jane:
Do any whitening toothpastes actually work?? I think the gradual dulling must be due to age *groan*, as there isn’t any staining as I don’t drink tea, coffee or red wine!
Anyone?
I find the toothpastes do nothing but crest white strips are brilliant. I only use them once every six months and it really keeps the old pegs nice and white, and keeps me in coffee and red wine. Well, I’m pregnant right now so not so much of that now but the strips are ace.
Euthymol……just the best and apparently Claudia winkleman swears by it..
I’m with you on this, Jane! I’ve not yet found a so-called ‘teeth-whitening’ toothpaste that makes a jot of difference. Am now plucking up the courage to have mine professionally whitened at my dentist’s practise (and saving up too – it’s about £250!). My worry though is that the side effect is increased tooth sensitivity, which I feel could be too high a price to pay. Or is it??
And to follow on from Jane’s excellent question, is there one that doesn’t give you mouth ulcers, or is that just me? Tried a Colgate Max one but couldn’t comment on the whiteness results due to the ulcer influx…
Try looking for toothpastes that don’t contain sodium lauryl sulfate (this might require squinting at the ingredients list). I’m super prone to getting mouth ulcers but switched to Sensodyne 2-3 years ago and I hardly get them at all now.
No. Janina works slightly.
I’ve tried a few. I think the best is Janina Ultra White it’s not an instant fix ( you won’t get American teeth) but used nightly you will see a difference in a couple of weeks. It tastes ok and my dentist says it doesn’t damage enamel. The method is important. Brush all over for a couple of minutes and DONT rinse. This allows the toothpaste to work its magic overnight. Amazon and Waitrose stock. Costs about a tenner.
No comments? Did you drive all of the science people away?
I had my dentist do it, and that worked really well. Watch out not to go too white, because it will look too… well, indeed, American. But she did it very subtly, yet effectively.
Floss your teeth then put a teaspoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swish around for a few minutes then spit out. It’s called “ oil pulling “ and really works. No need to do it every day, but if you have a event coming up, try it for 4-5 days before and you will be amazed at the difference. I even have had people comment on how white my teeth are. And I’m a tea/coffee/and red wine drinker!
in my usual role as comment cynic: I read an interview with a peridontist who was like “yes oil pulling works that’s why we’ve been begging you all to get a waterpik and an electric toothbrush for years. it’s called getting your teeth really clean.”
But I can’t stand a waterpik OR an electric toothbrush so I also oil pull if I want to be 100% sure that I have no bad breath and it does work. You can also brush your teeth with a little bit of the oil instead of swishing it. Like whitening strips it’ll only work if the issue is staining/not actually getting your teeth that clean when you brush. Just do try to spit into the trash can instead of down the sink as coconut oil especially can solidify in your pipes in cold weather.
The white strips are good, it’s peroxide (I think) so basically bleaches. I KNOW it’s expensive but I had veneers on the front 6 teeth as my 60th birthday present – used the pension lump sum. Not something everyone can do but if you could afford it, well worth the money in my view. Not only do you get very natural looking perfect teeth (you choose your own colour so doesn’t have to be blue/white) but also it fills those gaps from receding gums. Again, in my opinion, this makes me look ‘less old’ but not in a Botoxy way, if you know what I mean.
I’m a dentist and I’m afraid whitening toothpastes will not work for you Jane, but having your teeth professionally whitened by your dentist probably would. I’m not just saying that because we want the money! Whitening toothpastes can be effective at removing staining but it is not possible for them to change the colour of your actual teeth. You need bleach for that and you don’t want to mess around with it unless you know what you’re doing….it is actually illegal for anyone to whiten your teeth unless they are a dental profession. The main side effect is sensitivity, but this is not permanent and there are ways to reduce it (whiten upper teeth then lowers/ whiten every other night/ use sensitive toothpaste to brush with and also rub it onto your teeth/ use a lower concentration product for longer). At the end of the day whether it’s worth it or not comes down to how much the colour of your teeth bothers you.
Second vote for getting them done at the dentist. I’m not a dentist! But that’s how I get mine done. To me it’s a one-off, guaranteed to work and targeted just at the teeth versus using a whitening chemical on my teeth (and probably swallowing a bit too) twice a day, every day, for ever. Also I brush with Denttabs, which are brilliant, but I doubt they do much on the whitening front. Since no-one asked nor is likely to be interested but I can’t help myself… Denttabs are small toothpaste “tabs” which you crush in your mouth then brush with. Better for the environment – no toothpaste container – and with fewer additives than normal toothpaste, but critically they contain the same amount of fluoride as regular toothpaste. Most hippy “plastic free” toothpaste alternatives don’t have fluoride… (I also don’t work for Denttabs. I just love them!).
Thanks for this, I’ve never heard of Denttabs but they sound great!
I had my teeth professionally whitened by dentist – can’t recommend it enough.
No whitening toothpastes will make a difference, because they can only deal with surface staining, but it’s discolouration of the dentine inside your teeth that makes them look yellow.
I looked into Crest white strips but I didn’t think you could get them in this country? I didn’t fancy importing them, but they do get great reviews.
I’ve used Crest whitening 3D strips, they’re amazing. You only wear them for 30 min at a time and you notice a difference after the first use. Relatively cheap compared to getting them professionally whitened. I’ve had so many people comment how nice my teeth look. 😀
It sounds as if saving up for the dentist option is the way forward, it was worth asking though! I have been putting it off for about 5 years as it feels quite vain and extravagant, but when I think of all the toothpastes I have tried over that time…….
I felt the same way but I took the plunge a couple of years ago and it has made a huge difference to my self confidence and I’m (almost) happy to have my photo taken these days. Maybe see if you can find a dentist who lets you pay in instalments maybe?
I got Crest White Strips from the US a while back and had a small but noticeable improvement but they are a bit of a faff. I think Arm&Hammer toothpaste – the one with baking soda – is a good option for surface stain removal (or just plop a bit of baking soda from the tin onto your toothbrush!)
Another vote for professional whitening. I top mine up every year or so, for two or three nights and it brings them up a treat.
For wine and tea staining I use charcoal powder and it works really well. I live in the US and the brand I am trying is My Magic Mud mymagicmud.com. There are quite a few options over here. It is super messy so I use it in the shower. I was amazed at how well it whitened my teeth and was relieved it didn’t show the filling I have on the corner of my front tooth that fills a chip. My dental hygienist gets my teeth nice and white twice a year but I’m trying the charcoal for in between.
Sorry but I am super tickled by the idea of you using your mud toothpaste in the shower because it is so messy
Ooh I can answer this one! I bought Colgate Optic White in a hungover fug, which is just as well because the price and shiny foil box would normally put me off. Anyway – it totally works! Like, ‘people have been commenting’-works!
I understand that it’s not dental whitening and more a stain removal, but it’s easier and cheaper to just brush my teeth as usual twice a day rather than roll into the dental chair for a serious blast.
I’ll save those big guns for my latter years.
On the staining front, cranberry juice can also be a terrible stainer. My dentist suggested I switch to drinking it with a straw and my teeth now stay nice and white as long as I clean them thoroughly, and go to the hygienist once or twice a year.
If professional teeth whitening is too costly, or unsuitable (if you have a bridge, etc), I cannot recommend a Prophy-Jet polish highly enough. I have it done twice a year at my lovely local dentist, for about £60 a pop, and the results are astonishing (especially the first time) and really do last. Excellent before a big event and a great confidence booster. Like a car jet polish but for your teeth! Wave goodbye to pesky stains that just won’t shift, and say hello to natural looking teeth that make you look like you but more sparkling, at pocket money prices.
I asked my dentist this the other day and he said the EU have recently changed the level of peroxide it’s legal to use, so anything you buy in a shop in the UK now will barely work – even tooth whitening kits. Dentists are allowed to use a slightly higher level so def worth getting it done professionally.