Teeth Whitening with Braces

Teeth whitening with braces is something I've gone through a couple of times already in my own household. We've gotten two teenage girls in and back out of braces. A third now resides in our home and she is following suit with the teeth whitening regimen that her two sisters in front of her used. I've been around for some of the teeth whitening routines that they implemented, and they seemed to work well for them. Here's a few you may find helpful to start with.

Whitening Toothpaste

It's a good idea, whether you have braces or not, to use whitening toothpaste. Your teeth will benefit from the whitener in the toothpaste with or without braces, so using a whitening paste to start with is the first thing to do. If you want to bring it up a notch, dip the whitening toothpaste in some baking soda and then brush. The whitening boost from baking soda can give you even more of an edge.

Hydrogen Peroxide Rinse

After brushing your teeth, you can prepare a 75/25 water/peroxide solution to swish with after you brush. This solution can get behind the braces well to effectively whiten your teeth. Be careful not to hold it in your mouth too long, the strong solution can be harsh on your gums and teeth as well. A quick swish and spit is all you need to do. My girls swore by this method.

Laser Teeth Whitening

This is a very effective method for whitening teeth. First, a peroxide solution is applied to the teeth, and then the laser is used to speed up the chemical reaction that occurs with the peroxide and the teeth. My kids have never done this, but they have friends that have, and everyone is always very happy with the results.

Waiting

There are those that may opt to wait until their braces have come off. All the methods for whitening teeth are a lot easier at that point, and there's nothing to have to get around. The whitening seems to be more effective once the braces have been removed as well.

For those die hard tooth whiteners, braces won't stop you I'm sure. These folks will make sure they have whiter teeth, braces or not.