How to Whiten Your Own Teeth for under £50

I'll start by saying this is not a guide on how to get that blue/white look, I like mine to look like they are just naturally white (I'm not sure I'm fooling anyone, but anyhow!)  As a rule, if your teeth are whiter than your eyeballs, you have gone too far!

I first whitened my teeth about 3 years ago, using at home kit that I bought from The Smile Place (this has no stopped trading as new laws have come into place.)  It cost £99 at the time, and it took about 2 weeks to get to a colour I was happy with.  I now do top-up treatments every 2-3 months to remove any new marks.

You can now buy the individual parts from retailers on eBay or Amazon and still get the same results.  I did this for my Husband, because his teeth looked bizarrely yellow next to mine , and it is the same stuff.  I get my top-up gels from eBay too.

The reason I didn't get them done in a salon or dentist was firstly the cost (you need to pay every time you need a refresh) and secondly I wasn't keen on getting the TOWIE look.

The most important part of this to get right is the moulds, they will help you get professional results and not burn your gums.

You will need

• Decent Sonic Toothbrush - I have an Oral B one (actually my Husband does, and I steal it and put my own head on it)
• Teeth Moulds £30 ish (you WILL need to the technician-made ones, don't get the DIY ones)
• Peroxide Gel £10
• Sensodyne Toothpaste £2 (you will almost certainly need this, so keep a look out for an offer on it)

I recommend making sure your teeth are as clean as you can possibly get them before you start to bleach.  If you don't do this, you will get an uneven result and the gaps between each tooth will look yellower, so spend a few days getting busy with your best vibrating toothbrush and floss first.  You can get your teeth descaled by your dentist if your feeling super motivated (I hate dentists so I skipped this)

Teeth Moulds

Now you need to order some custom made teeth moulds, Amazon and Ebay both have suppliers who sell these.  Mine was a little kit that came in the post with some playdoh-like substance that you knead to create the dental putty and then you bite into it to create the mould.  The most important pointer here is that don't exceed the time kneading or the putty will set before you get chance to imprint your teeth.  Once I had made the imprint I then posted them back to the technician and they made the mould and sent it back to me.  This is what they look like.

Mine are the 1ml version to make them comfy to wear, though I am told they won't last as long, but mine have been going 3 years so far.

Can I wear them whilst going about your day?
I regularly wore these out on the school run, no-one seems to notice, though I felt so odd wearing them, I couldn't help but mention it.

What happens if they are uncomfortable?
You can trim any protruding bits, you don't want the mould to go above your tooth line, or you won't be able to easily remove any excess bleach.

Whitening Gel/Bleach

There are other gels that you can use, but I am only recommending Carbamide Peroxide as I have had good results with it and it isn't expensive.  I use 22% which is a mid strength gel.  I wouldn't touch the high strength with a barge pole as I got quite sensitive teeth with the 22 and so I wouldn't want it any stronger.  Basically the stronger the gel the quicker the results, it doesn't affect how white they eventually get, just how many sessions it takes to get there.

The bleach can burn your gums, so only apply a small amount and immediately remove any that squishes out onto your gums with a tissue.  It won't stop it working by applying less, but it will help you not get the side effects which might make you stop before you get the right shade for you.

How long does it need to be on for?  
I always do a minimum of an hour but no longer than 2 as the bleach looses power after this time so it is pointless carrying on wearing them.  It takes at least 15 mins for the carbamide peroxide to convert into hydrogen peroxide on your teeth and start to work.

Does it hurt?
Nope, but after 5 or so sessions you may (I say may, everyone I know who has done this has suffered from this) develop sensitivity.  I just switch my toothpaste to Sensodyne for the duration of the whitening.  Another clever friend just applies some Sensodyne to the tooth mould and wears it for a while to reminerlize her teeth.    The sensitivity doesn't last, but can be a bit annoying when you try to have a decent hot cup of tea or an ice cold G&T.

How many times will I need to do this for, and how much gel will I need?
My teeth were probably about average and mine took about 6-8 goes.  I reckon a 5 ml syringe will do you about 4-5 sessions, I don't bleach all the way to the back, just the ones that can be seen when I smile.

Can I eat while I am wearing the mould?
NO, don't be ridiculous!  I use it as a good way to not snack for an hour or so.

Hopefully, this is of some use to those of you who want brighter teeth, but don't want to blow £200 on it.  This method is the same products that you would get if you asked your dentist for at home whitening.

Feel free to follow me on Bloglovin if you want more bargainous beauty hacks.

Disclaimer : I am not a dentist, I am just saying what worked for me, Please use caution when following any advice and if it seems stupidly cheap, perhaps skip it as I doubt it will be safe.