Tooth whitening on old teeth

I had my teeth professionally whitened a few years ago. Although they seemed whiter for a short while they now seem to have become very thin, especially at the very edges. Harsh whitening treatments and eating/drinking acidic foods or suffering from acid reflux can hasten the loss of enamel. I am considering composite bonding as I feel my teeth are slowly fading away, I notice it more when I’m smiling in photographs. I’m just a little concerned about how they would turn out and how much it would all cost.

Thanks Poppyred...

I'd add that any caps on your visible teeth, or insets (dental crowns) won't take any whitening ...

I recall a beautiful young air hostess years ago giving me a brilliant white smile - but there was one of her teeth that was capped which stood out very darkly amid all the gleaming others.

I brush my teeth once a week with bi-carb, keeps them fairly stainfree, but I hasten to add clean them twice a day using toothpaste 😀

I had badly stained teeth polished by my dentist. It cost a bit but not too much. The stains she suggested were caused by tea (without milk) or coffee but mostly tea so I am now having mint tea or vanilla and quite enjoying it. It has been about 9 months now and no more staining.

There is a 'pop up' on Facebook, I think, suggesting mixing toothpaste and petroleum jelly as a whitening agent.
It seems harmless enough - I might give it a try.
My NHS dentist just says my badly stained front teeth are from tea drinking - I am 84 but still conscious of them and did pay privately to have them 'done'. It was an uncomfortable, very long process and I didn't notice a jot of difference.

labradorlinda33

Faye17.....do you get your whitening tubes from your dentist? I have to pay £50 for 1 syringe!!

You can buy them online. I pay less than £30 for 5 syringes from Happy Smile.

widgeon3 You are absolutely correct. I told my dentist they were turning into beauticians. It’s all about increasing business for profit US style.
Off thread, but those who advocate paying a nominal fee for a GP appointment, are encouraging primary health care down this road too.

A friend spent 500 on whitening at age 62. The teeth are a bit whiter but the line where the gum is is the original colour so she can do a bit smile! As others have said the enamel is thin so it doesn't work so well. I agree about lipstick colour improving.

yellowing is from years and years of staining
I think you will find forallweknow that this is not necessarily the case for those who visit their dental hygienist regularly.
It is in fact a normal sign of aging, the extent largely genetic, and it is due to the enamel becoming thinner and porous and the dentin (a yellow colour) therefore showing through.

They're all very good at that these days Widgeon
Under management pressure I guess

My lovely orthodox dentist was away so when I lost a filling the practice sent me to one of his colleagues who was far more interested in selling me cosmetic products than replacing the filling

Tipped back in his chair and mouth wide open he asked why I did not consider the procedures which would make me look far better
I explained I was well into my 80s ( having a multitude of wrinkles through having lived in the tropics), with teeth and fillings of a variety of colours , as I had been forced to resort to more basic dentists in my travels. All I wanted was to retain functional teeth
Still the pressure continued as he pointed out the glowing white even teeth of his very young assistant, Eventually I got the cavity filled competently by the same man who had obviously been trained as a proper dentist but he was very persistent. I suppose he got a good bonus by persuading people it was a necessary procedure

Yellowing is from years and years of staining. Do not try over the counter whitening kits, discuss with a dentist. Also really consider how you would look with whitened teeth with skin and hair also changed over the years.

I had the mould made through my dentist. That was about 5 years ago and was £300. They are worth the money.

Yes Ll
It's Philips Zoom teeth whitener
£15 per tube

Faye17.....do you get your whitening tubes from your dentist? I have to pay £50 for 1 syringe!!

Poppyred
Your dentist may offer teeth whitening, if he or she thinks your teeth/gums are suitable. It involves making moulds of your teeth and then using whitening stuff in the moulds for about 2 weeks. You then use it about once a week. You can also buy the stuff online once you’ve had the moles done.
Expect to pay up to £500 - depending on where you live. I’ve had mine done and think it’s well worth it. Good idea to use sensitive toothpaste to keep sensitivity to a minimum

Same here Poppy

Its a bit of an outlay but the moulds are yours so you just need the whitener from time to time. I found it really brightened and whitened up my teeth but not unnaturally so. When you consider how expensive hair treatments/facials/creams/make up can be I think its worth the money to have my teeth looking just as well.
I got my moulds about five years ago and with the whitening products the cost was £450
The whitening tubes cost £15

I’d like to have whiter teeth (mine have gone a bit yellow) but my dentist charges $4,000 so I passed on that. I brush using an electric toothbrush and a whitening toothpaste but it hasn’t made an iota of difference.

I remember being in a room full of elderly Americans in 2002 and wondering why they all had such obviously false teeth. Then I realised they had - underneath it all - real teeth turned unnaturally white with veneers and bleach. I thought they looked ridiculous. 21 years on my teeth are pale beige but reasonably healthy and appropriate to my age and wrinkles. I'm not giving up tea, coffee and red wine just so my gnashers can glow in the dark.

I have had both teeth whitening treatment, done by my dentist and a composite coating put on the worst brown teeth right at the front. This (commercial) link tells you all about it. www.bupa.co.uk/dental/dental-care/treatments/composite-bonding

Those white white almost hue straight across look worse than yeowing ones I think
I don’t like mine much now but they are pretty old so what can I expect

Moulds

Your dentist may offer teeth whitening, if he or she thinks your teeth/gums are suitable. It involves making moulds of your teeth and then using whitening stuff in the moulds for about 2 weeks. You then use it about once a week. You can also buy the stuff online once you’ve had the moles done.
Expect to pay up to £500 - depending on where you live. I’ve had mine done and think it’s well worth it. Good idea to use sensitive toothpaste to keep sensitivity to a minimum.

Its an age thing as well as good/fortunate family teeth. Mine not so good. But the difference 5 years has made was noticeable before I embarked on slight diet change. We've got gransnetters from 60's to 80's and at the 60 end of the spectrum dentists bleaching may be viable.

I'm sure the gleaming white teeth on screen are veneers.

Swapping red for white wine wasnt too hard....

It was harder to let go all the red staining berries but its nice to have teeth that look reasonable when you get that morning look in the mirror.......