the bleaching systems- ALL of them- are short-term fixes unless you folow them up with having those whiter teeth bonded- which is pricey, but would be worth it if it really mattered that much... but then, if it really mattered, none of us would ever touch another cup of coffee ; ) from what I have seen, the over-the-counter strips work just as well as the slime-in-a-mouthpiece methods, at a tenth the price... and I'm noticing that my friend (who used to be a dental hygenist, and is now an aesthetician with a string of certificates) won't go near them, sell them, or recommend them to any of her clients... that tells ME all I need to know.

Thanks so much TREKaren and Carina for your replies. I actually found a site yesterday that has to do with rating the various whitening programs and the host of the site asked for any comments so I sent them my letter. Got a very nice reply back that said he'd been doing this for over 2 years and had never had a response like this. After doing further searches for any physical complaints I came up empty handed so guess this was a freak rare situation. She's getting better, but boy what a shock that must have been. Anyway, thanks for your help, and again if anyone else out there has had the same thing happen to them I'd love to hear about it. BarbB

My hubby (who is generally terrified of the dentist) has done the ZOOM whitening as part of a larger dental process. He had let his dental care slide a bit because of his apprehension and needed quite a bit of work, including some white composite fillings in the front. I helped him find a highly recommended, highly qualified dentist who was understanding and respectful of his anxiety. She recommended the whitening procedure as the first step in his process. He definitely needed it, and it enabled the dentist to "match" the composite material to the natural color of his teeth at their cleanest state. He achieved fantastic results. I do understand that the process can be painful for people with sensitive teeth, but in our experience it certainly doesn't have to be - - his dentist gave him a de-sensitizing gel to use for 20 minutes each day for a week before his treatment. Hubby said if he felt anything he would call it a 'bit of heat', no pain at all. The results for him have been incredible, and he is very pleased and so much more confident with his smile. His dentist has been awesome through the entire process, and has totally changed Hubby's overall opinion of the 'dental experience'. I think that is the key - finding a competent, well trained and highly qualified professional. The cost of the ZOOM procedure was $250. I'm currently wearing braces, but plan to look into whitening as soon as I'm able. I am actually thinking about moving all of my regular dental business to Hub's new dentist, because she's been outstanding.

I don't think the strips work good at all...I have some and don't use them. I bought bleach from my dentist and had a bleaching tray molded to fit my upper teeth. (Dentist said at the time that my bottom teeth don't really show so I wouldn't have to bleach them.) Anyway I wish I would have had a bottom tray made too. My teeth whitened about 4 shades...They look soooo much better. My daughters are really white. She uses the same thing I do. The bleach come in a syringe. 4 to a package for about 25.00. The expense was in the tray. I rebleach every now and then when I think about it. two or three months apart or more.. My dentist says his wife bleaches hers a couple times a week and she still has her teeth...lol patti