{Day 12} Teeth: Fashion & Beauty For Women Over 40

First, the winner of the Neutral and Leopard Handbag is Terrie H. Yeah Terrie I’m so happy for you!! I will be emailing you. Thank you all so much for entering my giveaway.

Today we’re talking about our teeth, and I’m passionate about teeth because I’m a dental hygienist, by profession.

I’m going to share how to whiten your teeth but it does cost money and it’s not covered by dental insurance, because it’s cosmetic. Which means because you don’t have to have it done, the insurance company won’t pay.

We all want white teeth! As we age, our enamel thins and the dentin (the stuff on the inside of our teeth) enlarges and it has a yellow tint. Which is why are teeth start to yellow. Of course, coffee, and tea and other things we eat and drink will also yellow our teeth.

Here are some things I’ve learned about bleaching teeth over the 20 + years I’ve been practicing dental hygiene:

1. Not everyones teeth will bleach. If you have always had yellow or gray teeth, you’re teeth will be harder to bleach.

2. If you have fillings or crowns in your front teeth, they will not bleach.

3. Bleaching will make your teeth sensitive while you’re bleaching, but it does goes away.

4. Personally, I don’t think whitening toothpastes work very well and they make your teeth sensitive. I have people come in all the time with sensitive teeth and most of the time they say they’re using a whitening toothpaste. If your teeth are sensitive and you’re using a whitening toothpaste I would stop using it immediately.

The best way to bleach your teeth is to have it done by your dentist using bleach trays. The bleaching system used in dental offices work the best! The cost varies, depending on where you’re from.

If you use an over the counter bleaching system, Crest White stripes will work but you won’t get the same affect as you will get with bleach trays.

Lastly, and most importantly, I think smiling, whether you have white teeth or not, is one of the best things you can do! In my opinion smiles are young, hip, and always in style!

I’m so glad you stopped by! I enjoy hearing from all of you. If you’d like to chat, you can follow me on facebook, I also love to add things to my pinterest boards and if you’d like to follow some of my pictures throughout the day, you can follow me on Instagram.

Beauty For the Heart~~A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:13

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  1. Hi, I am new to the site and I love it. Although I am 51 there are no other sites I know of that give ideas for older women. I have used the 35% tooth whitener from overstock and it is great! It is just like opalescence and costs much less. It also comes with some gel to help with the sensitivity. You should try it. You can get it with or without trays.

  2. Hey Cyndi! Just curious about Becki’s whitening trays. Are they fitted too far over your gumline? Maybe they just need to be trimmed a bit? Also, make sure you don’t put too much gel in the tray…you only need a small, thin line. Oh so exciting to read a favorite blog AND get to talk teeth! Thanks Cyndi for sharing on this topic! Blessings!

  3. Hi Casey! I would not say that bleaching would do nothing but your teeth (of course I haven’t seen them) will never be white, white.
    I have done bleaching on patients with tetracycline stain and if you bleach for several months they will get lighter.
    I wish I had better news but they haven’t found a great product.
    Thanks for stopping by!
    Cyndi

  4. Cyndi, I have a question. When I was a small child I had to take tetracycline(not sure of spelling). This was in the early ’60’s. When my permanent teeth came in, they have always had a dark color to them. I have never had my teeth bleached by a dentist. I was told by a couple of them that bleaching would do nothing for my teeth since the dark was from the inside. Have you ever had a patient with similar circumstance that had decent results with bleaching? I’d love to have a whiter smile!

  5. Hey Cyndi.. love your beautiful, sincere smile!! Wish you could be my dental hygenist!! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend… Blessings!

  6. One of my front teeth was turning dark and I thought t was just from tea and coffee. When the dentist looked at it and ex-rayed it, she found out the nerve was dead. I had no idea (no pain). So, I had to have a root canal and she tried bleaching he inside of my tooth. It did help, but still is not completely normal. Oh well comes with age, I guess.

  7. You know I agree with you about this. 🙂 My husband and I both have whitening trays and use them when needed. My sons use White Strips. About the Crest White Strips, my best friend always had one front tooth that was brownish from medication. The dentist told her it would have to be bonded. She tried White Strips and now has the whitest beautiful teeth. The brown area in her tooth is completely gone! Not sure if I would purchase the trays from the dentist at this point after seeing her success.

  8. Cyndi, Again, thank you so much for all you do for me as a fashion challenged woman. I’ve been shopping a lot for the different cosmetics you’ve suggested and I’ve been pleased with everything you’ve suggested! You should definitely get a check from these companies! I’m really so grateful for your fashion tips as well as makeup and skincare. A question for you. I’ve bleached my teeth for 10+ years and had great luck with one brand I used in California but I can’t remember the brand. I’ve not been able to the last several years. We’ve moved and the dentist that I go to now gives me Opalescence PF. I’ve tried the 35% as well as the 20%. Both burn my gums so fast I can’t stand to leave it on for more than a couple minutes. I’ve tried vitamin A on my gums and have been very careful not to let it touch my gums but even a tiny bit burns so bad, immediately turns white and if I leave it on it will burn and peel off my gums. I’m frustrated because I used to be able to bleach whenever I needed it but now I can’t. Is there another brand you suggest or another idea. My dentist just keeps telling me to use the vitamin A or be more careful. My teeth don’t seem to be sensitive to it but my gums certainly are. Any words of wisdom?