Weddingbee boards

is anyone having their teeth whitened before the wedding... my FI and i are doing this... we brush our teeth everyday and arent smokers but we drink lost of soda (yep im one of the few canadians that calls popsoda lol) and our teeth arent really yellow but they are yellowish and we want pearly whites for the pictures and obviously to take care of ourselves... how is everyone else whitening their teeth what worked and how much did you spend

I use crest white strips and love them. Easy to use, stays on, doesn't get in the way..

ill have to try the crest white strips then, im trying to save money wherever i can but its nice if its cost effective!

ill be heading to the store to buy more staws.. i used to do this all the time, it makes such a difference thanks for the reminder!!! genius!

I tried swishing hydrogen peroxide at night and it works well (and super cheap) but it's more gradual than some of the other methods.  I had gel trays before but they irritated my gums and made my teeth sensitive.

@pammyd, Nope, no stinging from the peroxide or sensitivity.  And it doesn't even have much of a flavour.  My teeth feel super clean afterward too.  I try to do it every night, but I'm a little forgetful.

@tomsbride - I've heard the target knockoff works the same as the crest whitestrips, im going to try those this week!

I am doing dentist-based whitening (Opalescence). I find Sensodyne Whitening and Act Fluoride Rinse really help address the occassional sensitivity on this. I'm lucky, though, on the dentist-based whitening because I go toa dental college-based clinic, so everything costs 50% of what it would at a regular dentist.

all great tips, thanks everyone... im definitly trying the CWS if that doesnt work ill do the trays, if that doesnt work ill try the zoom... but im confident the CWS will work...

We'll be having our engagement pictures when we are satisfied, i cant wait, thanks for everyones help and reviews

Just a tip for everyone who uses hydrogen peroxide to whiten, don't use it everyday. It can turn your tongue black, which I'm sure none of you want. Plus, it doesn't have anything in it that actually whitens teeth. I'd stick with Crest White Strips if you want something relatively cheap and over the counter.

It might depend on the dentist office but my mom just got her own whitening trays that she can get free refills for every month (I think) for just $100. I don't know what they're actually called but I'll probably find out next week when I go.

I actually went to my dentist this week to inquire a bout whitening for wedding pics and etc., and he actually told me that he didnt recommend it.  He said that the whitening makes your teeth more brittle and sensative.  Also, since everyones teeth are varying shades of white, yellow and gray, after the whitening is done, your teeth might be 'TOO white'.  I might just try the Crest Whitestrips route.

I got my teeth professionally whitened at the dentist about a year ago and now my teeth are really sensitive.  I WOULD NOT recommend it as drinking ice water or eating anything cold is super painful now...

@sboston06, I also have crowns but on my top front two teeth. My dentist said you can use the whitening strips on them it just won't do anything. He also said OTC treatments were better than the dentist office treatments (at least in my case) but to be careful since your crowns are matched to your natural tooth enamel that if you whiten them too much it can begin to look like your crown in the discolored tooth. BTW I use the CWS and haven't had any issues.

Just as a PSA---one thing NOT to try is Crest Pro-Health mouthwash. In fairness, it doesn't purport to whiten teeth---just to fight plaque and freshen breath. Thing is, for many people (including me, yuck!), it turns your teeth BROWN. Yup. Brown spots on your gumline, like your teeth are rotting away. I was sort of shocked to find out that people have been reporting this for several years and they still sell this stuff. I wrote Crest an email about how disappointed I was in them, only to get a response that the spots were a sign that the mouthwash was working, and they would go away and my sense of taste would return once I stopped using it. (Umm...I didn't know I had lost my sense of taste in the first place...??)

On the upside, my dentist got most of the brown off with some work (and said please please consult him next time before trying new products!) But it was still really annoying, given that I only got the stuff in the first place thinking it would help me have nice white teeth for the wedding photos. Argh. *sigh* I've used Crest whitening strips in the past with no problems (but also not a hugely noticeable difference), though.

I'm going to try CWS!