I’m trying to get perspective on this particular beauty standard and how I want to approach it. Do people whiten their teeth where you live? Is it seen as expected to do so? Do you live in a city?
I have healthy teeth that have nevertheless seen a lot of tea and coffee. I have generally thought of this as similar to wrinkles, i.e. a natural thing bodies do that I don’t want to pay money to fix since it isn’t broken. I still think this. But I have been feeling lately like there might be more actual social stigma to my teeth being discolored. I am wondering if this is at all real? Has whitening teeth become an expected thing for all adults to do now? I thought I’d ask how other people feel and think about this and what the general norm is in your social circle.
Edit: thanks for the responses everybody.
Where I am, if you whitened your teeth like celebrities do you’d stand out in the ‘you look weird’ kinda way. In the UK though the emphasis is more on health than colour, despite the stereotypes.
It’s fairly common where I live, but dentists recommend against it because it weakens tour enamel.
I’ve never done it. Reasonably healthy teeth can be quite stained before they become noticeable to a random stranger while you’re talking of whatever.
May be natural, but so is body odor and we shower and use deodorants.
Yellow teeth don’t look good, it’s just that simple, and whitening isn’t expensive for most people - just go buy a box of a generic whitening kit from a drugstore. If it works for you, you win the whitening lottery.
Read the directions, the warnings, follow them.
I can’t use most of them, as they hurt my teeth (I’m sensitive to the ingredients).
No, you’re objectively wrong on this. It is more akin to cosmetic surgery because it is harmful for your teeth and potentially dangerous. This isn’t a normal hygiene standard.
My dentist disagrees. He recommends moderation, but says it is not harmful, much less dangerous.
I do it myself, about once a year, and I don’t have any issues at all.
My dentist said I could do it more often if I felt I needed to, 3-4 times a year, and my enamel would be fine, as long as I followed the directions.
I tried googling it and found no source that corroborated your statement. (I did find a Mayo Clinic and NYTimes article that both support my dentist’s claim.)
I’m willing to listen if you can provide an article, but your “objectively wrong” comment seems a little, well, objectively wrong.
I have been told by my dentist that it can permanently damage your tooth enamel. I did a quick search and found an NIH study on enamel softening. It looks at hardness, but that is all. I only read the object and the abstract, but that part didn’t mention enamel thickness. The study mentions that hardness is restored after about a week.
I would generally advise caution and just take your dentists advice about these things. I will admit I am generally biased about this and it definitely can be harmful if not done correctly.
They never called it hygiene.
It is indeed potentially harmful, but qualified, legitimate dentists will have the answers needed if it’s ok for any given person.
I think comparing whitening to bathing and using deodorant is calling it normal hygiene. Not bathing literally leads to worse health outcomes.
That being said, you’re correct, I definitely have a strong bias towards this. I have been told by my dentist to not do it because it is damaging to the enamel. Consulting your dentist is definitely a good move.
I can’t answer for your societal questions since I don’t really care about them. But I do it from time to time only for my self esteem.
I smoked for years and became self conscious about my teeth becoming yellow-ish. So I don’t smoke anymore and do a whitening maybe once a year at max.
It’s a bit like sport, I feel better in my body so I am more happy, social and smile/laugh more.
I see it on TV commercials all the time and it looks freaky to me. I’d stay away.
I whiten every other tooth
This is the best advice here. Checkerboard pattern.
I had my teeth whitened professionally 3 times and it was only on the third time I was told some people have naturally yellow teeth and there’s nothing that can be done.
Most people don’t care
I was wondering about that, since my teeth are kinda yellow.
So it doesn’t help to have them whitened?
It’s best practice to just keep brushing regularly and go to the dentist to have them cleaned once a year.
Whitening for some people is useless
No one that I know has whitened their teeth. The thought has never even crossed my mind. I am a heavy coffee drinker and brush 1x day with a sonic care toothbrush. I guess I do use whitening toothpaste, but that’s because it’s unbiquitious.
People have a lot of variation in what “looking good” means to them. I would argue that being well groomed is fairly universal, but even that’s not the case for everyone. Some people think presenting well is all about the brands you wear. Others think it’s about the type of clothes. Others think it’s about how well put together your outfit is.
To me, I value well fitting clothes over “fancy” clothes. It’s nice if the two go hand in hand, but I have a hard time looking past poorly fitting “nice” clothing. That said, even fit is subjective unless you’re talking about neck fit in a button down T-shirt.
This is all a long way of saying do what works for you. If that’s whitening your teeth, cool. If that’s not whitening your teeth, also cool. Be clean, be halfway well groomed, and be comfortable in your appearance. Do this and people will generally be comfortable about you. Yes, some may judge you about something that’s out of your norms, but you truly won’t be able to please everyone.
You brush… Once a day???
I brush and floss once a day and have had nothing but perfect checkups at the dentist.
Good for you? Enjoy the bad breath!
Flossing is by far the most effective breath freshener. That said, I’m a brush twice a day, floss 3 times a week guy
I brush and floss 2x a day I wonder if that’s going a bit overboard🤔
I think flossing twice is too much, unless you consume a lot of sugary drinks I guess. I typically do it once before bed and find my teeth feel fine throughout the day
Edit: not a dentist just lazy
If they brush before bed and produce a lot of saliva, they could easily get away with it. Heavy salivation while sleeping keeps bacteria from sticking well to teeth and adds a layer of protection from plaque forming
If I see someone with whitened teeth I immediately get the impression that they’re dealing with their insecurities in an unhealthy way by projecting them onto their own body.
I get this even more with people who’ve undergone cosmetic surgery.
I find it hard to take people like that seriouslyI feel like this position devalues a lot of folk’s actions navigating dysphoria. It just so happens you find teeth whitening shallow but ultimately it’s someone trying to align their outward appearance to their mental self image.
It’s not for us to judge the choices others make with their bodies, we can just hope they are healthy and happy.
I don’t think it’s shallow. I think it may reflect a psychological process that reveals insecurity.
I do judge people on it initially, as I do according to all my prejudices. When I then get to know someone better, I adjust my views accordingly
It’s absolutely not necessary, and not expected, imo. If it’s on your mind and bothering you, maybe ask a dentist about options?
A lot of people do it, but I would lump it in with getting a facelift. You definitely don’t need to do it and it doesn’t make you healthier.
It’s relatively common where I live, but it’s not often talked about. My adult teeth emerged slightly yellow and my parents had me try to whiten them before being told by a dentist that, in that case, it’s not something you can fix, so I stopped caring.
Maybe if you have staining from food or smoking it’s different, but to me it seems like a bit of a waste of time in terms of beautification unless you have nothing else on your face you could improve instead. Hair and skin improvements make more of an impact IMO.
I use the strips x twice/year. Also, whitening toothpaste.
I’d say it’s popular/normal in my area. Southern New England.
I think generally you’re supposed to avoid whitening toothpaste as it essentially works by sanding your enamel down which can cause issues long term.
I haven’t had any sensitivity or discoloration. My dentist hasn’t pointed out any issues.
We buy the whitening strips but don’t do professional whitening. I think that’s fairly common here. I live in Dallas, TX.
I don’t even know how common it is to have your teeth whitened professionally. I just asked my dentist and they told me to buy whitening strips and do it myself.
Just use a peroxide toothpaste, 1) it’s a good idea in general, 2) it’ll whiten your teeth over time so no one notices and you don’t get that ‘high beam’ bright white that throws everyone off.
Source: I used to smoke unfiltered cigarettes for years and my teeth look normal. Peroxide toothpaste, always have used it.
Is it bad for them in any way? What brand do you use?
I’ve been using a peroxide toothpaste for nearly 30 years and the only problem I’ve really run into is that now non-peroxide toothpaste tastes funny to me.
And I usually get Crest but in a pinch you can just dribble a little peroxide from a bottle (it’s ridiculously cheap) on any toothpaste before you brush.
