Dental questions (vanity involved)

Years ago I had a mould made by my dentist and regularly whitened my teeth. Due to becoming hypo and unable to afford dental appointments, whitening fell by the wayside.

I now wish to revisit this but have concerns as to whether this is a good idea due to being hypo. Does anyone know if there are any risks involved? Certainly it would appear that there's been some tightening up of buying these products.

Second question is to do with a dental irrigator - I've bought one and am struggling to find any info re how often this should be done. Anyone know?

Thanks.

[Hidden]

If you have auto immune disease (Hashimotos ) I would definitely not use any whitening products. If you have a sluggish thyroid I guess it would be fine.

What on earth is a dental irrigator?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply GILL007.

Think of a pressure washer for teeth - that's what the dental irrigator does to get rid of debris between teeth that can be missed when flossing. I floss 3 times daily but the irrigator still finds it!!

[Rebec]

First of all, I wouldn't recommend to anyone to have their teeth whiten. The chemical used has to attack the enamel. If you really want your teeth to shine, I would recommend what my late mother used to do: once maybe a fortnight, brush your teeth with a bit of bicarbonate of soda.

About your Water pick, which is what I call the teeth irrigator, is a fantastic addition to caring for your teeth. All my family has been using this addition to flossing and brushing teeth for a very, very long time. I normally start by flossing my teeth and then I use the water jet to finish with all the bits that were left in between the teeth, and only then brush my teeth.

Just one suggestion I would like to make: try and direct the jet of water between the teeth but avoid directing it towards the gums as I guess one could push small particles and create pockets in the gum.

I also bought a Water Pick which has rechargeable batteries.

Hope you're going to have very healthy teeth and gums.

[Hidden in reply to Rebec]

Thanks for your reply Rebec.

Have taken note of your tip re the irrigator and am trying to be careful so using the lowest setting. I spent a huge amount of money on having a mouthful of amalgams removed so really want to look after my teeth.

[Rebec in reply to Hidden]

Wow. You had all the amalgam removed! That's notonly nice for your teeth, but this way you're taking care of your health in general. You don't have to use the lowest setting for the water jet. If you look on the internet, which I did after I wrote my comment, they apparently recommend directing the jet towards the gum. Have a look. I personally don't do it for the reason I have mentioned. They say that healthy teeth and gums help in maintaining a healthy body.