Izulde
08-24-2007, 12:18 AM
Got the Zoom 2 Whitening done on my teeth today at the dentist's. It's a procedure that involves 3 (sometimes 4) 15-minute sessions of peroxide gel and UV light on the teeth.
I'd been given a tube of de-sensitizing flouride toothpaste to use for two weeks beforehand, which I did. The dental hygienist was extremely thorough in prepping me and my dentist assisted in the prep, which entailed a dental dam, a ton of gauze, UV protection glasses, etc. This is a dentist and staff that I switched over to about a month ago after finally getting fed up with years of incompetence from my childhood dentist and his staff. They've been absolutely fantastic and they did a superb job in preparing me, warning me that there could be some zingers and tooth sensitivity during and afterwards... gave me a 4-page document/waiver that explained potential complications, etc.
First 15 minutes, I got a few zingers (extremely sharp, stinging pain in a tooth), but nothing too terrible. I'm thinking okay, no problem, I can handle it.
Hygienist and dentist both came in during the first round and afterwards to check on me and they re-prepped me for the second round. Got an incredibly nasty zinger on a bottom tooth, so the dentist guazed up the bottom teeth even more and told the hygienist to avoid the bottom half of the bottom teeth.
So the hygienist set up the light for the second round precisely to that instruction.
Midway through the second 15 minutes, my mouth came alive with non-stop zingers and they had to turn the light off with 3 minutes left to go in the second round.
I then sat there in my chair literally shaking and tearing up I was in so much pain. To their credit, both dentists in the practice came in and were extremely sympathetic, as was the rest of the staff that stopped by. They also commented that my teeth were incredibly white, especially relative to what they'd been. The head dentist remarked that my teeth had really taken to the UV light and soaked it up, which is why I was having so many zingers and such hypersensitivity.
So they give me a prescription for Vicodin, the first time they've ever had to do that with a patient getting the procedure done, along with some relief gel, some sensitive teeth toothpaste and some guaze.
In the 15 and 1/2 hours since then, I've been in nothing but constant pain in my mouth. No burning anywhere like I later found out some people have had, because the staff was so meticulous and careful in their preparations, but a non-stop stream of zingers.
The first Vicodin knocked me out a few hours. The second dose of Advil 2 hours later did nothing. The second Vicodin 2 hours later did nothing. Third dose of Advil 2 hours after that did nothing. The relief gel that I tried in between the cycles of Vicodin and Advil (recommended by my dentist to go in those alternating cycles, btw) did nothing.
Eating some white rice helped (I'm on an all-white diet for the next 48 hours), but not for long. Finally things ar starting to lessen in pain a bit after the third and last Vicodin.
But my teeth are still so sensitive when I open my mouth to talk, the air hits them and the pain comes back full force, so I've resolved not to talk until the sensitivity subsides some more.
Even if the teeth stay pretty white after they re-hydrate, I would never, ever have this done again. The back pain that led to my cortisone injection was a small pinch compared to this.
I found out after reading online about an hour ago that a lot of people have gone through the exact same thing I have. If I'd have known about this startlingly relatively common reaction beforehand, I probably wouldn't have done it.
http://www.rebeccablood.net/archive/2007/01/teeth_whitening_caution.html
^---- That's the site where I found a lot of the testimonials that let me know I'm not alone. Consider this a cautionary tale for FOFCers.
Yes, I know not everyone has this type of reaction, but it's commonplace even that it needs to be taken in consideration, I think.
I'd been given a tube of de-sensitizing flouride toothpaste to use for two weeks beforehand, which I did. The dental hygienist was extremely thorough in prepping me and my dentist assisted in the prep, which entailed a dental dam, a ton of gauze, UV protection glasses, etc. This is a dentist and staff that I switched over to about a month ago after finally getting fed up with years of incompetence from my childhood dentist and his staff. They've been absolutely fantastic and they did a superb job in preparing me, warning me that there could be some zingers and tooth sensitivity during and afterwards... gave me a 4-page document/waiver that explained potential complications, etc.
First 15 minutes, I got a few zingers (extremely sharp, stinging pain in a tooth), but nothing too terrible. I'm thinking okay, no problem, I can handle it.
Hygienist and dentist both came in during the first round and afterwards to check on me and they re-prepped me for the second round. Got an incredibly nasty zinger on a bottom tooth, so the dentist guazed up the bottom teeth even more and told the hygienist to avoid the bottom half of the bottom teeth.
So the hygienist set up the light for the second round precisely to that instruction.
Midway through the second 15 minutes, my mouth came alive with non-stop zingers and they had to turn the light off with 3 minutes left to go in the second round.
I then sat there in my chair literally shaking and tearing up I was in so much pain. To their credit, both dentists in the practice came in and were extremely sympathetic, as was the rest of the staff that stopped by. They also commented that my teeth were incredibly white, especially relative to what they'd been. The head dentist remarked that my teeth had really taken to the UV light and soaked it up, which is why I was having so many zingers and such hypersensitivity.
So they give me a prescription for Vicodin, the first time they've ever had to do that with a patient getting the procedure done, along with some relief gel, some sensitive teeth toothpaste and some guaze.
In the 15 and 1/2 hours since then, I've been in nothing but constant pain in my mouth. No burning anywhere like I later found out some people have had, because the staff was so meticulous and careful in their preparations, but a non-stop stream of zingers.
The first Vicodin knocked me out a few hours. The second dose of Advil 2 hours later did nothing. The second Vicodin 2 hours later did nothing. Third dose of Advil 2 hours after that did nothing. The relief gel that I tried in between the cycles of Vicodin and Advil (recommended by my dentist to go in those alternating cycles, btw) did nothing.
Eating some white rice helped (I'm on an all-white diet for the next 48 hours), but not for long. Finally things ar starting to lessen in pain a bit after the third and last Vicodin.
But my teeth are still so sensitive when I open my mouth to talk, the air hits them and the pain comes back full force, so I've resolved not to talk until the sensitivity subsides some more.
Even if the teeth stay pretty white after they re-hydrate, I would never, ever have this done again. The back pain that led to my cortisone injection was a small pinch compared to this.
I found out after reading online about an hour ago that a lot of people have gone through the exact same thing I have. If I'd have known about this startlingly relatively common reaction beforehand, I probably wouldn't have done it.
http://www.rebeccablood.net/archive/2007/01/teeth_whitening_caution.html
^---- That's the site where I found a lot of the testimonials that let me know I'm not alone. Consider this a cautionary tale for FOFCers.
Yes, I know not everyone has this type of reaction, but it's commonplace even that it needs to be taken in consideration, I think.