Should you get your teeth whitened or after braces? We are talking traditional braces, not Invisalign or anything. Also, any good or bad experiences with home whitening kits?
Edited - sorry it wasn't clear, it should read "before OR after braces." I know not during, just want to know if we should go ahead and do it before the consult or just wait. We won't have the consult until March and I don't want to waste time if they are just going to say get them whitened first.
My daughter did Crest White Strips after braces. It made her smile beautiful! My dentist is also a good friend, and while she used to do whitening in her office (making molds and trays and selling the whitener) she says that for the money Crest does just as good of a job and it's safe too. It worked for us!
It says not to on the home kits. (my teens wanted to use the home kit) I am not sure why though. Maybe good old fashioned baking soda and hydrogen peroxide?
I had a friend that did teeth whitening while they had braces. They had to have a professional go in after they came off and whiten the little squares where the braces attached. Until it got done it looked really funny!
our orthodontist was adamant about NOT using whitening products during braces! We had to make sure both the toothpaste & mouthwash was "whitening"-free.
A.:
I would NOT whiten my teeth or even attempt to with braces on. I would wait until my braces were off for at least 6 months....
talk to your orthodontist prior to doing ANYTHING like that. You could loosen the bracket and mess up your teeth.
Not until the braces come off!! The super duper Crest White Strips work VERY well, I get compliments all the time, I do them twice per year after my cleanings. Beats the big trays and pretty inexpensive!!
Agree with Tracy M. : believe me, they will try to sell you this stuff before, during, after...if YOU express that you want it, they WILL SELL it to you. Wait until it is all over, then you can decide. In my experience, even if you see some discoloration, give it a little time of normal brushing, and their teeth will be just as beautiful as they were before. (In other words, I bought the strips for the first child, didn't for the second, now, both in college, they look just the same! lol, true story! :-)
