White teeth?
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You are currently reading a thread in /adv/ - Advice
You are currently reading a thread in /adv/ - Advice
I'd like your opinions on teeth-whitening products. Preferably inexpensive ones that I can buy in-store. Are there any to avoid?
You generally want to look for a product with "professional" in its name and with carbamide peroxide as the primary active ingredient. Stick to ones with trays and gel, not strips.
Before you take that step, however, please do two things. The first is to go to the store and buy something labeled "anti-plaque rinse." Plax is a common brand for this stuff but the off-brands work just great too. The ingredient you're looking for is sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). These rinses are basically detergents that you swish around your mouth for 30-60 seconds before brushing in order to loosen up plaque/calculus. Use this stuff religiously at least twice a day right before brushing. It doesn't sting like mouthwash so swish it for as long as your patience allows. Do this for at least a few weeks straight. Go through a couple bottles. If you stick to it the results on stains and discoloration are great.
After those weeks pass, the next thing is to visit a pharmacy/chemist/apothecary/whatever and purchase a dental hygiene kit. They're inexpensive (around 10 USD) and contain the standard set of picks and scrapers you see at the dentist's office. The most useful tool in there is the hook with flat sides. You don't need to go poking around with the sharp hook. Use the flat one to scrape your teeth starting from the gumline. I promise you're not going to damage your teeth. White, hard, brittle chunks may pop off. That's not tooth enamel. That's actually what happens when plaque accumulates. If you try whitening your teeth with that rock-hard crud on there, you're only going to whiten the crud. Use the kit a few times and you'll make sure that there's nothing caked up on your teeth.
Then, if you're still unhappy with your teeth, get a whitening system.
>>16950753
Wow thanks. My teeth aren't too bad so maybe the rinse will be enough
>>16950753
Not him, but why assume he doesn't know about plaque? That just comes off with brushig anyway doesn't it?
>>16950763
It usually is. I know someone who had pretty nasty stains from smoking and took me up on the rinse idea. What had happened was that the tobacco was even staining the plaque buildup between his teeth. The rinse softened the plaque so much that brushing could finally dislodge it, so when he was done brushing he'd spit out little black chunks. Pretty gross but the staining and yellowing were dramatically improved.
It only works that well if you're very diligent, though. At least twice a day and count out those (ideally 60) seconds legit. Then shove that brush straight into your mouth and start scrubbing on the toothpaste. Do it like you mean it.
>>16950769
Most people don't really know about plaque and calculus. They think it's just that yellow rime you see along your gumline if you haven't brushed in a while. And yes, that stuff just comes off with brushing.
What they don't know is that between and behind teeth, that stuff very quickly accumulates and hardens. At that point it's almost imperceptible. It feels hard like enamel and blends into the color of the tooth. Like I mentioned, sometimes people will dislodge a piece and think that they broke a tooth. It's not tooth material, it's gunk. That's the really nasty stuff. It doesn't come off with regular brushing (at least not all at once) and it causes gum disease. You need persistence and hard instruments to crack and scrape that stuff off which is why periodic visits to a dental hygienist are pretty fucking important.
If you look at most people in the early stages of gingivitis, it looks like their gums are just receding and exposing tooth enamel. The truth is that the "enamel" you see at the gumline is actually calculus, and beneath it is all of the inflamed gum tissue and dentin. There are videos on YouTube you can check out.
>>16950803
>calculus
I don't think that word means what you think it does, sir.
>>16950821
Its a synonym for tartar
Its used correctly
10/10 if bait
>>16950719
Bleach
>>16950719
An unattractive woman wearing makeup is still unattractive.
See
>>16950753
>you're only going to whiten the crud
>>16950719
Buy cheap buy twice.
I heard orange peels work
>>16950847
I'll take this into consideration when I inevitably fall into depression and have enough self-hatred
>>16950753
Thanks anon I'm definitely going to try this
