Sunday, October 28, 2012

Teeth Whitener

Several months ago, I had the misfortune of using a very poorly made teeth bleaching kit.  I posted the outcome on my personal blog and have re-posted it on the bottom of this post for your reading pleasure.

A few days after I posted about this incident, a friend of my tagged me in a pintrest about DIY teeth bleach.  After I gave her the finger through the computer (just kidding shay) I started looking into DIY teeth whitening.

Several of the websites I looked at agreed that putting a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide on your teeth was the best method to whiten your teeth.  What they didn't agree on was how often to put it on and how long to leave it on.

So I decided to base my experiment on this website and do it every other day for 10 days and leave it on for about a minute. 

 Here is what the website says;
You will need:
-1 tsp of baking soda
-A few drops of hydrogen peroxide
-Toothbrush

First combine the baking soda and peroxide and let sit for a few minutes so that the mixture forms a paste. Apply directly to teeth using a toothbrush, avoiding gums and lips. If you do get the mixture on your gums or lips, don't leave it on too long or they will start to tingle. Rinse mouth thoroughly and brush with normal toothpaste and again,
DO NOT swallow the mixture. In about 15 minutes, you'll notice a difference.

Did you catch the part about not getting the mixture on your gums and lips?  This person wants me to brush my teeth and not get anything on my gums or lips?  HAHAHAHAHA! That's a good one.

I made my mixture and while it was sitting I decided to brush my teeth really good so the mixture would actually bleach my teeth and not my left over dinner of pizza tofu.

I dipped my toothbrush into the mixture and started to brush it on the front of my top and bottom teeth.  I did my best to avoid getting it on my gums and lips but that was pretty much impossible.

As I was brushing, the first thing I noticed was how gross it tasted.  No worries about swallowing that nasty stuff, and then..... HELLO PAIN!!!!!  My gums were on FIRE!!!  I can't believe how fast that pain came on.  I spat and rinsed as fast as I could and fortunately the pain did not last.

The mixture was on my teeth for only about 10 seconds so of course I was not surprised that 15 seconds later my teeth looked the same.

Two nights later I decided to try again and try really hard to avoid my gums.  Once again that was impossible but I did notice that it didn't hurt my gums as much.  Each time I brushed this mixture on my teeth the pain was less and less and I was able to leave the stuff on longer and longer.  I never went longer then a minute because after that there was a good chance of accidentally swallowing it because of all the extra saliva that kept piling up.

The Verdict: It worked very well. After the 10 days of brushing the mixture on my teeth every other day, my teeth were noticeably whiter.  In fact when we had our photos professionally taken by Bridgette she told me that my teeth were extremely white and she didn't have to touch them up in photo shop.

Like all whiteners it's not going to last, but one website i found said that if you do it about once a month this will maintain the shade you have. 

These before and after photos aren't great because you can tell that the lighting I am in is different in each photo and a light bulb can definitely make your teeth more yellow in a photo, so you will just have to go on my word and the word of Bridgette that it worked very well.






Here is my original post about the horrible bleach kit I bought;

Disclaimer: below are some very unattractive pictures of me, but I just had to share this oh so fun experience I had.

Recently there was a Groupon deal for an at home bleaching kit that promised to whiten your teeth 1-5 shades.  It was 70% off the regular price, how could I refuse?!?!?!? So I bought one for me and one for my husband.  I eagerly waited for the package and was very excited to have a really white, new smile.  Oh, how I was punished for my vanity.

 Finally the package came, and as soon as the kids were in bed I tore that sucker open.  Looking at the contents and reading the directions made me quickly realize that this was going to fall under the category of "Beauty is Pain."

Inside was a mouth guard full of bleach goo that would be tight in Shaq's mouth. It also had a light that you had to hold against your teeth for 30 min.  This was sounding more and more difficult but I was not going to be discouraged.  So I did the prep work of rubbing Vitamin E all over my gums, then put in the mouth guard.  That thing was HUGE and I couldn't close my mouth over it.  I then pulled out the light and...... it didn't work.  So here I am with the mouth guard in and my light isn't working. Fortunately I had gotten two packages so I quickly opened my husbands and yanked the light out.

I was all panicked that those precious minutes with the guard on and no light was going to mess up my teeth some how.  So I grabbed the light and hip hip hooray it worked.  However, it also had a huge guard on it and now some how I was suppose to stretch open my mouth even wider and fit this huge light in my mouth.

With some force, I got it in and had my lips around it.  Now I had to stay like this for 30 min. You've got to be kidding me! 



After looking at myself in the mirror all I could picture was this.....



While looking for the light that worked I noticed my gums tingling.  With in about 2 minutes they were on fire. The pain was so bad that my mind started racing through profanities which made me laugh because then I was picturing why poor Ralphy had the soap in his mouth.

I kept thinking that I should probably take it out because I was in serious pain but my vanity and tight side took over and I kept chanting to myself "I paid $30 for this and it will be over soon and I will have beautiful teeth." So I decided to take my mind off it by cleaning the house.  Oh how foolish I was.

As I started to move around and pick up toys, the bleach in my mouth decided to move and now my tongue was burning.  I quickly stopped and sat on the couch begging the timer to go faster "baby steps 30 minutes." By the end of those horrible 30 minutes my jaw and lips were aching from clenching down on the mouth guard and light. Finally the timer dinged.  I raced to the bathroom rinsed my mouth and looked at the damage......


I know the picture is gross, but seriously check out that damage.  All the white parts are blisters.  After whimpering and cursing myself for keeping those stupid trays in, I looked at the directions to see if there were any final directions I missed.   The final direction said "rinse and brush thoroughly."  Um, excuse me?  You want me to brush my teeth while I have blistering and bleeding gums?  What type of sick and twisted sadistic person invented this blasted kit?!?!?!?! 

The next several days my gums ached but it was bearable and my teeth went up 3 shades.  Yahoo!  I could deal with that.  It hurt but it was over and I had white teeth.....

A week later I looked in the mirror to once again be awwed by my white teeth and wouldn't you know it, they were back to their old shade.  "OH FUUUUUUDGE!"



21 comments:

  1. Aughhh! Blisters!!! (But Ruth cracked up when she saw the picture of Ralphie)

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is good that you found yourself a DIY teeth whitener mixture that works. True, there are tons of people doing that same DIY mixture but just can’t get the same result as you did. There are some factors to consider like teeth and gum sensitivity. So, it would be best to consult an expert before using any remedy to avoid more problems, like what happened with your gums.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It might not last long, but at least it’s not as painful as that mouthguard whitener that you tried. And at least the baking soda + peroxide mix didn’t cause your gums to almost bleed, or at least feel like it did.

    The website should’ve added “will hurt like hell if you touch gums and lips” after the advice about trying to avoid the gums and lips. XD

    Latarsha Ghoston

    ReplyDelete
  4. There are many home remedies that one can try to whiten their teeth. Just look it up on Google and I bet, you'll get thousands of results. However, our teeth is a big contribution to how we look and you don't want to take unnecessary risks for that. That's why I recommend that before you try any of those DIY mixtures, consult a professional first.

    Jody Howell @Houston Smile Docs

    ReplyDelete
  5. A nice method to whitening your teeth without any pain. Teeth whitening works by lightening the colour of your teeth. Every individual is happy by whitening their teeth. Most people are very happy with the result of white teeth.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for sharing. I think I am going to ask my dentist in Whitby about this.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is a good trial if you got good result, but like each person has different skin tone that's everyone's teeth is also different. So using this mixture is not good idea for whitening the teeth so better go to family dentistry.

    ReplyDelete
  11. If you really want to achieve bright and clear smile instantly then consult the best clinic for Teeth Whitening in Orangeville.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly that love and read more on this topic. If possible, such as gain knowledge, would you mind updating your blog with additional information? It is very useful for me. teeth whitening kit melbourne

    ReplyDelete
  13. It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I desire to suggest you few interesting things or tips. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I want to read more things about it! dental clinic st albans

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice knowledge gaining article. This post is really the best on this valuable topic. dental clinic st albans

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very informative post ! There is a lot of information here that can help any business get started with a successful social networking campaign ! teeth whitening kit melbourne

    ReplyDelete
  16. I curious more interest in some of them hope you will give more information on this topics in your next articles. official site

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for sharing!!

    The information was very informative. i must say everyone has need to care of their teeth not only for child but elders too. i have good experience with one of the best dentist in Chicago

    ReplyDelete
  18. Good to become visiting your weblog again, it has been months for me. Nicely this article that i've been waited for so long. I will need this post to total my assignment in the college, and it has exact same topic together with your write-up. Thanks, good share.

    tooth sensitivity to cold

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great job for publishing such a beneficial web site. Your web log isn’t only useful but it is additionally really creative too. Teeth whitening kit

    ReplyDelete
  20. I enjoyed reading your blog. This is very well-thought-out and well-planned. If any people look for Teeth Whitening in Adelaide, you can go through Commercial Road Dental. Keep posting helpful content.

    ReplyDelete