Tooth Whiteners: Something For Everyone
When it comes to over-the-counter tooth whiteners, there's a vast array of options for consumers, says Dr. Nancy Rosen, a dentist with a practice in Manhattan.
She went over many of them on The Early Show Friday.
"No matter what your price point is and how much time you have in your busy schedule," she says, "there are different things that people like to use."
However, she stresses, you should make sure your teeth are healthy before whitening them.
Rosen focused on only over-the-counter products, but dentists also whiten teeth, and those treatments tend to be stronger and work more quickly, she observes.
To see the American Dental Association's position on tooth whiteners, click here.
For an ADA overview of tooth whiteners, click here.
Rosen said how long all of these products last depends on how much dark, staining food you have eaten or will continue eating. If you're a six-cup coffee drinker, it's not going to last as long as it will for a person who drinks only one cup a day. What's great about over-the-counter whitening products is that you can repeat their use. However, you don't want to do it too often. Follow the directions. If you do it once every six months, you're not spending a lot of money.
Whichever system you decide to use, she added, will only work on natural enamel. It will not bleach crowns, veneers or fillings. That's why you should talk to your dentist beforehand. You don't want to bleach something that you shouldn't and wind up having a stripped mouth.
OVER-THE-COUNTER PRODUCTS
There are different types of strips that will bleach your teeth. You can use some for five minutes a day every day, and some for 30 minutes a day for 10 days. They're safe and very easy to use. Prices range from $16 to $40.
The strips are like a clear Band-Aid. You pull off the back of the paper and wind it carefully across your top teeth and across your bottom teeth. You press them on, making sure all of them are sticking and there's bleach in the strips (it lifts stains and whitens your teeth). You also pull them off like a Band-Aid.
"Go Smile" is the only company that makes this type of product. It's a little tube with a brush. You squeeze a clear liquid on the brush and scrub your teeth. This is good, because it enables you to get into every nook and cranny. It's also safe, fast and effective. The cost is about $100. The instructions say you should use it twice a day for seven to 10 days.
You take the trays provided and put bleach that comes in the box and put them in your mouth. Rosen said she doesn't really like this option, because the trays are one-size-fits-all, which can not only cause uneven bleaching, but hurt the gum tissue, because you're not having something specifically fitting your mouth. You can have a dentist make trays that custom fit your mouth.
The paint-on-gel containers look like nail polish bottles. You open them up and you paint the substance on your teeth. Rosen says they're safe, but she doesnt' really think they'reeffective because,the minute you paint something on, you will go over it with your lips and wash away the bleach.
It will remove some teeth stain off of your teeth, but they are really not going to bleach your teeth. However, they are a "great way to maintain whiteness," Rosen said.