Okay, so I finally bit the bullet and went in for one of those laser whitening treatments at the dentist. Honestly, I was kinda skeptical at first, thinking it might be overpriced hype or something. But a friend swore by it and had these annoyingly perfect white teeth, you know...so I gave it a shot.
Anyway, here's my little tip: right after the treatment, your teeth can feel pretty sensitive to cold stuff (like ice cream or cold drinks). My dentist suggested using sensitive toothpaste starting a week before the appointment and continuing for a couple weeks after. I didn't listen at first (typical me), but then regretted it big time when biting into my favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream felt like chewing on icicles.
The results were actually pretty great though—my teeth look way brighter without looking fake or anything. But yeah, if you're thinking about doing this, definitely try prepping with the sensitive toothpaste beforehand.
Curious if anyone else has any tips or tricks for dealing with that sensitivity afterward?
I totally second the sensitive toothpaste thing. I had mine whitened a couple years back and made the mistake of drinking ice water right after...ouch. Warm drinks helped me a bit, weirdly enough. Maybe give that a try?
"Warm drinks helped me a bit, weirdly enough. Maybe give that a try?"
Yeah, warm drinks were a lifesaver for me too. I remember sipping lukewarm tea after whitening—felt kinda strange at first, but it really eased the sensitivity. Definitely beats the shock of cold water...lesson learned the hard way, haha.
I remember sipping lukewarm tea after whitening—felt kinda strange at first, but it really eased the sensitivity.
Warm drinks never really did the trick for me, oddly enough. I tried lukewarm tea once after whitening, and honestly, it just felt...weird? Like my teeth were extra sensitive to anything remotely warm. But room temperature water was my sweet spot—just bland enough to not trigger sensitivity, haha.
One thing that genuinely helped me was switching to a toothpaste specifically for sensitive teeth a week before my appointment. My dentist recommended it, and I thought it was probably just marketing hype at first, but it made a noticeable difference. The sensitivity afterward wasn't nearly as intense as the first time I got whitening done without prepping.
Everyone's different though—I guess it's all about finding what works best for you through trial and error. Just glad I figured mine out eventually...after some uncomfortable experimenting!
Interesting to see how different everyone's experiences are with sensitivity. I didn't have much luck with warm drinks either—felt kinda uncomfortable, actually. But the sensitive toothpaste trick definitely worked for me too. Also, my dentist suggested avoiding acidic foods like citrus or soda for a few days afterward, and that seemed to help a lot. Did anyone else get that advice? Curious if it made a difference for others or if it was just me.
