Whitening strips safe?

Question

I know there are a lot of questions out there about whitening strips. All i want to know is do they sensitize the teeth? The reason i ask is because i want to use them but not if they will make my teeth hurt. I would also like to know in your opinion what is a whitening toothpaste that works and also protects against cavities, gingivitis, etc. I have been a smoker for 5 years and i just quit. I feel great but i want to look as great as i feel. Thank you all in advance and have a great day.

Answer 1

To be very honest with you, I have not seen any of the over-the-counter tooth whitening programs really make any major change in the color of teeth. The strips cannot use a very strong whitening agent as they are used while not being monitored by your dentist for any possible complications.

There are programs that you can buy over the internet but that should be followed up on by your dentist. The one that we recommend in our office is Tres White by Ultradent. You should be able to buy it from Amazon.com.

Toothpastes do not lighten teeth to any degree but can help to maintan the shade that you have.

In-office bleaching works the best. In our office we have the Zoom2 program. It takes about 1 1/2 hours and the results have been very good.

To prevent tooth sensitivity we recommend the use of Sensodyne toothpast or Fluorodex toothpaste (again this must be ordered or gotten from your dentist).

But, as with all bleaching procedures, there can be no guarantee that tooth sensitivity will not be an issue. In some extreme cases, root canal therapy might be required.

After you whiten your teeth there will be some rules that have to be followed to maintain the whitening. For a period of time after the procedure, no eating of foods with COLOR (no tomato sauce, no curries, no fruit pies, no red wine, no coffee, no tea, no colas). You will use tooth paste and/or mouth rinses that will help to maintain the lighter color.

And you will have to do maintenance on the whitening to keep the bright color... touch-ups.

As with any health/dental issue, the person to discuss your situation with is your health professional (doctor/dentist).

Answer 2

Well, I HIGHLY recommend Listerine whitening strips. They're really easy to use, they just dissolve in your mouth within 5-10 minutes. You have to use them twice a day however, so that can get a little annoying, and your gums MIGHT sting a little bit the first few times, but as long as you don't put them directly on your gums, they should be fine. Now I don't know if these will work on smoker's teeth, because I used them after I got my braces off, but my teeth ARE whiter. Please be warned though, it doesn't have a permanent effect, I may actually get another box to whiten them up more. Good luck! P.S., they don't sensitize the teeth.

Answer 3

There is always a chance that they sensitize ones teeth, however, it is usually temporary and gos away in a few weeks.  Toothpastes in and of themselves are an abrasive, if you want to get one that is more abrasive than most to help will the stain, use a tarter toothpaste with whitening.  Have you had a cleaning since you quit smoking?  That with a polishing will help remove any stain.  Good luck and congratulations on quitting.