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teachingmom
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| Posted: June 29 2007 at 4:22pm | IP Logged
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Are any of you familiar with the teeth whitening strips they sell to use at home? Unfortunately my children seem to have inherited a tendency to have teeth that naturally look rather yellow, instead of white. My oldest (almost 13) recently had her braces removed and the color of her teeth bothers her a bit now. At first I said no to using these things, particularly since she is so young, but then I told her I'd ask the forum what they think. (After all, I get most of my ideas from here about lots of other things, right?  )
So, do they work? Are they safe? What do you all think?
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: June 29 2007 at 9:20pm | IP Logged
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Maybe I'm being goofy about something that is really harmless, but those things scare me. What if you don't do it just right -- will you have striped white and yellow teeth?
Has your daughter had her teeth cleaned at the dentist since removing the braces? This worked to improve the appearance of my kids' teeth after the braces came off. Part of the cleaning was to completely scrape off the remnants of cement from the braces, which was a large contributor to the yellowish look of the teeth.
Peace,
Nancy
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Anneof 5
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| Posted: June 29 2007 at 9:41pm | IP Logged
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My former dentist, who was extremely health conscious (built a "healthy house" for retirement) would not whiten teeth as he said it has not been around long enough to be proven safe. He was particularly concerned about the effects on the throat in the in- office whitening treatments. My new dentist, in a different practice, has cautioned me about trying it as I have sensitive teeth and it could worsen that problem. However, he did say that Crest white strips or such might be a better option. I may do that in the future but I think they are a bit pricey. As an aside, I think it is so strange that we are so used to seeing super white teeth now in tv and movies and advertisements, etc. When I see older color tv shows or movies, I tend to notice the difference! And I am not one to notice details as a rule. I think we are being brainwashed! 
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residentmuse
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| Posted: July 02 2007 at 9:45am | IP Logged
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I haven't posted here in a long time but I wanted to get back in the groove...
I think if teeth are naturally less-than-white, it's because there is less enamel to begin with (some of that runs in my family too). I would think that the strips could do some real harm in that case. I believe they help to remove stains on older adult teeth that may have had years of coffee/tea/smoking/whatever, but on a teen that just isn't applicable. So, she could effectively be damaging her enamel and yet never getting that bright, "white" color she is hoping to achieve. I don't have any science to back that up, but it seems intuitive.
Isn't our culture insane, that tooth-whitening has become such a trend?
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LisaC
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| Posted: May 27 2008 at 10:49am | IP Logged
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I am reviving this thread because I have a question about teeth whitening. Do you do it? Which method? There seems to be a lot of coffee drinking going on here so I was just wondering.
Anneof5 wrote:
| My former dentist, who was extremely health conscious (built a "healthy house" for retirement) would not whiten teeth as he said it has not been around long enough to be proven safe. He was particularly concerned about the effects on the throat in the in- office whitening treatments. |
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I do not have experience with 'in-office' treatment but about 6 years ago I used the gel in the 'trays' and that seemed to work fine, but then I do not have a problem with sensitive teeth. What are people using these days?
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Lisa in Colorado
Mom to ds(14 yrs), ds(12 yrs), dd (10 yrs), ds(10 yrs)
Sunflowers and a Spoonful of Sugar
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insegnante
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| Posted: May 27 2008 at 11:58am | IP Logged
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I don't think I realized people could have naturally yellowish teeth -- I wondered, but my sons have such white teeth I guess they didn't get any yellowishness genes I might have! I figured I had just stained my teeth when I was younger and had worse habits, and that is likely a large part of it if not all of it, but oddly, it seemed as if my teeth started to look yellower earlier during this pregnancy, in spite of not drinking coffee, drinking a lot less soda (nothing caffeinated) and maintaining my very frequent brushing habits. Not sure if it is just my perception though. I just posted last night asking about better lipstick colors for people with yellower teeth, because I'm pregnant and may not even be able to use whitening products after pregnancy while nursing.
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Theresa
mommy to three boys, 3/02, 8/04, and 9/10, and a girl, 8/08
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teachingmom
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| Posted: May 27 2008 at 11:01pm | IP Logged
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Well, I'll report back. We took the plunge and both I and my 13 year old used them a few months back. I bought the regular Crest White Strips (no ultra or whatever). I couldn't figure out from the box what the benefit of buying the more expensive option might be, so we went with the base model. We had to wear the strips for a half hour each morning and night for two weeks. We really could see a difference afterwards!
I had asked both our dentist and orthodontist what they thought of the whitening strips, and both were supportive of trying them, as long as we didn't start using them all the time. I guess that's what lots of people are doing and that's what does lots of enamel damage. I only plan on using them once a year for a whitening pick-me-up. 
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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LisaC
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| Posted: May 28 2008 at 8:58am | IP Logged
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What is the saying...an ounce of prevention..
So I searched the internet on what foods stain your teeth and basically anything that would stain a white shirt would stain your teeth. But I didn't know that fluoride could discolor teeth in children.(Look under the heading 'Medications'.)
The only thing I would think about changing are my daily coffee (in winter) and cola (in summer), since I already go with the decaffeinated versions anyway, though I would not refrain on occasion. Does anyone know of a creamy, not too sweet, beverage for those cold winter mornings?
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Lisa in Colorado
Mom to ds(14 yrs), ds(12 yrs), dd (10 yrs), ds(10 yrs)
Sunflowers and a Spoonful of Sugar
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Topic: Teeth whitening strips for teens?
