Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a great Easter weekend. As much as I love all the sweets and quality family time, I think it’s so important for us to remember what Easter is really about. We all have the opportunity to live eternally thanks to the sacrifice Jesus made for us. I know a lot of you have probably grown up hearing about this, but do you ever just take the time to stop and really think about it? I mean Jesus knew what He was getting into…and yet he embraced it with open arms…literally. He embraced all the ridicule and suffering and pain that came along with God’s promise for us. Plus he did absolutely NOTHING to deserve it!!! It is truly hard for me to fathom that kind of love. I get chill bumps just thinking about it. And what does He ask for in return? Just for us to love and follow Him…that seems like a pretty uneven trade if you ask me. So as you eat your chocolate rabbits and yummy jellybeans, take a moment to thank God for keeping His promise to us and raising Jesus from the dead so that we may have eternal life through Him!
As the title of this post says, I’m going to be talking about how I keep my teeth looking nice and bright. I was so close to calling this article: “My Shiny Teeth and Me”…but I was worried people wouldn’t get the reference. Click on the picture below to see what I’m talking about.
Anyway, I’ve had a few requests to do this post, but I’ve been hesitant to write it. My mouth has always been a huge insecurity for me. I wasn’t born with any adult teeth next to my two front teeth. I had baby teeth which had to be pulled when I was in elementary school, since there were no adult teeth there to force them out. I spent a few years with two gaping holes in my mouth before I finally got braces. I’m probably the only person in the world that was excited to have braces. My orthodontist was able to make me two temporary teeth to fill the gaps in my mouth. We ended up wiring them into the rest of my braces to make the fake teeth look more natural. But after I got my braces off, I started the process of getting two permanent teeth implants…and let’s just say it took a really big toll on me. I spent 2 years with my fake teeth in a plastic retainer that I had to take out in order to eat. I was in high school at the time, so I usually opted to not eat in front of people instead of taking my retainer (hence my teeth) out. I didn’t get my permanent implants put in until I was a senior in high school, and I had never whitened my teeth up to that point.
Before we ordered my implants, my dentist asked me if I’d like to whiten my teeth. He explained that once I got the implants put in, I couldn’t whiten my teeth since the implants themselves wouldn’t change color. I decided to give it a chance, because why not? Who doesn’t want whiter teeth?! My dentist gave me NiteWhite ACP: 10% Carbamide Peroxide Whitening Gel to try, and I loved it! Each night, I would use one dose (dosage marked on each syringe) in my top retainer and one dose in my bottom retainer. Then, I would sleep with the retainers in my mouth overnight and brush the solution off my teeth the next morning. I did this for about 3 weeks, and I definitely noticed results. Everywhere I went people were commenting on how white my teeth looked! Before you try any whitening product, I would suggest talking to your dentist and asking if NiteWhite is an option for you. I used this roughly 5-6 years ago, and I still feel like my teeth are fairly white. I mean the fact that I used this product 5 years ago, and still get compliments on my teeth, speaks for itself. This stuff really works, and it’s not something you have to do all the time. I’ve recently asked my dentist if it is ok for me to try whitening my teeth again since my implants are in, and he said it should be fine! My real teeth still change color, but my fake teeth stay as white as they were when I first got them put in. I need to whiten my teeth again so my real teeth will match my implants. I will definitely be ordering NiteWhite again, but I need new whitening trays. These are the ones I currently have my eye on…I’ll let you know what I think about them after I test them out!
Since it’s been about 5 years since I used this product, I have noticed that NiteWhite was bought out by Phillips (the new owner of Discus Dental). It is now called Zoom! NiteWhite, and it seems to have new packaging. However, everything I’ve read claims that the ACP formula hasn’t changed. There have been some changes to the amount of potassium nitrate to help with sensitivity, which is a common side effect of teeth whitening. I just wanted to give y’all a heads up in case you noticed the packaging of mine looks different than what you find!
In order to maintain white teeth, I use Crest 3D White toothpaste twice a day. This is by far my favorite toothpaste of all time! Another tip I have is to ALWAYS drink out of a straw, especially if you drink a lot of Coke or other colored beverages. The straw will help keep your teeth from getting stained as easily. I’ve tried to cut out Coke, as well as extremely acidic and colored drinks, from my diet. That’s literally it…I feel weird even making a post about this, because it’s so simple. There’s really only 4 steps:
- Use NiteWhite every night or every other night for about 3 weeks (time may need to be adjusted based on teeth sensitivity)
- Brush your teeth with Crest 3D White toothpaste at least two times a day
- Drink all liquids through a straw to avoid any staining
- Reuse NiteWhite as needed
If y’all have anymore questions, feel free to reach out to me! Also, it would mean the world to me if you’d share this post if you liked it or found it helpful. I’m trying to grow my audience, and I’d love it if you’d help me! Have a great week 🙂
