Teeth whitening - White Strips and Ionic White

[hurly]

Has anybody used any of these products?
Someone just told me that using it makes your teeth rot faster. Is this true? Or is it safe to use them?

Also, has anybody tried Ionic White? Does it worked? I've only tried White Strips, they DO work

[Poison]

Many dentist say they are harmful in long term usage.

[hurly]

Define long term...? 10 years? 10 months?

[larock01]

I have used white strips and other teeth whitening products. I have talked to a dentist about them, and they are harmful in the long term, such as 10 years. My dentists has told me that nothing is better than using regular tooth paste, and brushing your teeth 3 times per day. He also told me that those products are just out to make some extra money, they are mainly traps to consumers

In conclusion, just use your tooth past and brush your teeth thouroughly three times a day!

[hurly]

I drink coffee a lot and my teeth isn't so white anymore!

[Poison]

10 years? I've heard from a dentist that it can be harmful in 1-1,5 years usage too.

[hurly]

I want the truth!

[Khaiy]

And what exactly does your dentist mean about damage from continued use? You're only supposed to use white strips for a week (sometimes up to two) per year, does even that use lead to those damaging effects?

[Poison]

I don't know what some dentists mean about continues use. That's just what I heard from them.

[pdavis68]

I suspect (though I am not a dentist, so I'm just guessing), that the long-term use problem is that the whitening compound (probably an oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide) will also oxidize the enamel that protects your teeth.

A little bit here and there is fine, but you don't regrow enamel, so using them repeatedly will eventually oxidize all the enamel and leave you with nothing protecting your teeth.

But you'd really need to ask a dentist about how many uses it would take to oxidize all (or enough) enamel for it to become problematic.

Unlike most other structures of the body, enamel doesn't regenerate at all after its creation, so once it's gone, it's gone forever.

I personally wouldn't bother messing with white strips. The dentist can provide you with dental peroxide gel and customized molds of your teeth which will get the right amount of peroxide to the right areas of the teeth. It's very effective. I'm sure this stuff also oxidizes the enamel, but it's something that's probably best done under the supervision of a dentist to prevent unnecessary damage to the teeth.

Pete