Teeth Whitening: Stories

Had Zoom whitening done today at noon...i feel like I want to punch my own teeth right out of my mouth! Brutal pain.... And the word IS PAIN!!! Not SENSITIVITY... I will NEVER do that again... The juice was Definately not worth the squeeze!

I wish I had the sense to research "Zoom" before I went through with it. I was told of "discomfort and sensitivity for some days." It was wholly an unpleasant procedure. All the while I remembered being told as a girl, "suffer for beauty!" Worse is the aftermath which is excruciating: Intermittent shooting pain one experiences with root canal!

i had laser led teeth whitening at 12.00pm today it is now 7pm and i still have xtreme pain in my teeth iv taken 4 iburpofens and 1 cocodamol, the pain is unberable hopeully it gone by tomorrow as im guessing its not going to go tonight, wouldnt recommend this to anybody.

I had my procedure done this morning at 10:00. I experienced little to no pain during the first two sessions....during the transition from the 2nd session to the 3rd session I experienced my first "zinger" which I was warned about. I literally came up out of the dental chair as if someone had sent an electric shock throughout my whole body. I never continued onto the 3rd session as my desired whiteness had already been reached. I have always used bleach trays at home and experience VERY LITTLE and VERY TEMPORARY sensitivity, like maybe my first sip of water afterwards tingles a little....but the pain I have experienced today is absolutely excruciating. About an hour after my procedure I experienced another zinger. And then slowly but surely my front bottom teeth starting hurting so bad I could almost shoot myself in the foot just to take the focus away from my mouth. It's now 7:00 pm, 9 hours afterwards and I am still in intense extreme pain. I have taken about 9 ibuprofen today with no relief. About an hour ago I took a hydrocodone and it is not working AT ALL! I would not recommend this to anyone. The same results can be achieved through over the counter white strips or bleaching trays from your dentist, it just takes longer. I would also like to add that my dentist took all the necessary precautions like the previous posters have mentioned: protective substance on gums, shades over my eyes, etc. Take my word for it, don't do it!!!!!!

Oh My God. I cannot believe that some people got off scott free!! I had an almost painless 3 sessions( only a few zingers in the end), and i was still fine unto 3 hours after the procedure. But its gotten progressively worse- and now its 3am- i have work tomorrow- and there is NO way i am getting any sleep. certain reviews by ppl saying the pain lasted a week etc is REALLY scaring me!! Im in so much pain i had to come online to check if i was the only one who was in this much pain! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

My god. This pain is just ridiculous. I had it done at 11 am, it's now 10.30 pm and the zingers have gotten progressively worse. I haven't been able to eat or drink at all and can't even speak as the pain of air on my teeth is too much. Do NOT get this treatment, it is not worth it at all. I too have a high Pain threshold (heavily tattooed and 2 kids, both natural) and there is nothin quite like this pain that is shooting through my teeth right now. 2 tramadol, 2 ibuprofen and 2 co codamol and it hasn't touched it. Miserable...

WORST PAIN EVER, I think mostly because you never know when it's going to hit and how bad it will be. These zingers are awful! Got my teeth whitened this morning at 8am and the first session was great, no pain and even relaxing. But halfway through the second, I was in agony, and couldn't even do the full third session. My teeth look nice, but after 8 hours, not AS nice as right after (the white has kind of faded a bit, not a brilliant as it was). And I am still experiencing the torture of these zingers. I will never do this again, and I hope to God that this only lasts a day and that I will be able to eat ice cream or hot soup again at some point in my life!

Man, y'all aren't lying. It's been 7 hours after the procedure, and it still hurts. It will prob be worth it because my teeth look great, but be prepared for some serious constant pain. Don't leave the dentist without getting some kind of painkiller prescription.

Pain pain pain, had zoom 6.30 my teeth ache all over with constant sharp shooting pains!! I want to pull my teeth out, my teeth were pretty White A1, they are max 1 or 2 shades lighter, my dentist was excellent was fully informed about possible side effects, no burns or anything couldn't cope with that just bad bad pain, wish I didnt bother really not worth it!!!! Hope this pain ends soon :(

I was listening to the radio after the appointment and they were talking about torture and it made me think that this would be a perfect way to legally torture potential terrorists.

My friend had it done and experienced some discomfort, but she never really told me about the "zingers." And neither did the dentist. I read the terms about some sensitivity which I was expecting, but it was the EXTREMELY SHARP pains shooting randomly through my teeth that did me in. I took a ton of ibproufen when I got home and slept for 2 hours. 8 hours later, the ibproufen has worn off and I'm in pain all over again. The zingers aren't as bad, but not sure how much sleep I'll get tonight. What really made me mad was that the dentist told me to raise my hands if the pain was too uncomfortable during the procedure. I was WAVING my hands and no one came to my rescue. I wasn't sure what to do so I had to endure this pain until it the process was done. My weekend is ruined and I wish I had researched this procedure prior instead of just listening to my friend. I wouldn't have done it knowing how painful it is. If you're considering Zoom whitening, just make sure you research ahead of time to see if it's worth it for you. I will not be doing this again.

Oh god! I am having my teeth done on Monday and they are quite discoloured-I have been waiting for years to get this done-but I am scared about the effect it's going to have on ME! Very varied reviews here but most people have experienced some kind of pain. Am I hardcore enough to withstand it?? We'll have to wait and see! :-S

I had mine done at 11am today and its now 15.30 and im in soo much pain!! its a shooting sharp pain in my bottom teeth...I just hope it goes away in the next 24 hours as they said, ive taken so many different pain killers but they arent working : ( my teeth turned out really white though so if the pain does eventually go then il be happy

Hi everyone, I`m a Cosmetic dentist in Mexico and i`ve been performing tooth bleaching for over 9 years going trough all kinds of different dental bleaching systems (trays, laser, britesmile, etc..) and here is my veredict: sorry for my english) 1) ALL bleaching agents containing peroxide produce 0 none to kill me sensitive experience (pain). No system difference. 2) It's true. every person has different umbral pain response to treatments. so that's why it varies from patient to patient. 3) The result also it's not for sure but depending on the system used can change from 2 shades to 10 shades..depending on how bad your color is. 4) I had 3 dental bleaching on me (tray system) and had sensitivity even using 10% concentration of peroxide ADA safe for only one night. 5) Using laser or desensitizing gel or prescription of painkillers help but they DO NOT REMOVE all the pain associated. 6) DENTIST ONLY PROCEDURE. (With experience of curse, also makes a big difference. and you should not pay over 500 usd for dental bleaching treatment usulally).

I have a high tolerance for pain. When I was a kid the dentist stuck me with novocaine ONCE and that was the end of that. From then on, I have always had all my dental work done WITHOUT novocaine/lidocaine. Crowns, filling cavities, you name it no needles. It just doesn't hurt. I also do not have sensitive teeth. Went in today for Zoom whitening. Felt fine while they were doing it until the last 10 minutes when I had a sharp pain. I didn't think much of it. Until I got in the truck to go home which quickly turned into the ride from hell. Shooting pain through the teeth, top and bottom. And no warning that it is coming on either.Dentist didn't mention anything about shooting pain...hmmm. My teeth look great and I am happy with the results but I dont think I would do this again. Its been 8 hours and I am still having the sharp pains through my teeth. I was told by someone else that is stops in about a day. Oh I might also mention that I have taken 2 vicodin which really has not done much. My advice: do it your teeth will look great but you will hurt so be ready.

Had this done two hours ago and could not tolerate the 3rd phase. My bottom teeth are still killing me and it has spread to my ears. My teeth might be two shades lighter. In hindsight, I would have tried Crest whitestrips...

omg...the pain. got it done at 11 am, It's 10pm and I am all nerves. two shades whiter = extreme pain! couldn't make it past 15 minutes and pains started shooting.

clearly not everyone has the same reaction to this because..."tough" does not suffice the excrutiating pain that i went thru. i have had many other painful things that i have gotten thru in my lifetime, including natural childbirth but nothing has come close to this. some people must just experience it differently depending on their sensitivity levels. also, i did not have the numbing gel on my gums. i don't know if it would have helped but even narcotics once the zingers started (which was about an hour or so after the procedure) were not helpful. my teeth are white.. but would i do it again?.. hell no.

Just found this site AFTER having the zoom done. I have just had invisalign done and the dentist, out of the blue, suggested whitening now that my teeth were straight. No pressure but I had thought about doing this procedure previously (not necessarily zoom but some method). Minimal info given at the time other than I will enjoy the results. During the application of the bleach, it was mentioned by the hygenist that I may experience these "zingers" and that my teeth might be sensitive for a day or so after. All the precautions were taken (the gel on the gums, sunblock, etc). It was during the second application of the bleach that the first zinger hit. Like having air blow over an unfilled tooth cavity. WOW! After the session was finished, the result was 8-9 shades lighter. The zingers continued through the evening (bottom right then 1/2 hr later bottom left then 1 hr later top right, etc). Never all at once. Teeth are still somewhat sensitive 18hr later but the zingers have almost entirely gone away -about 18 hr after the procedure). The pain is manageable (I'm tough :) ) as it is very very brief. Do it again? I don't know how long the white will last (told a touch up might be needed in a year) and will know better then. But if you have concerns about not having pearly whites, this is quick (an hour) and time will tell how long lasting it is. Personally, I think I'd do it again (even knowing now how the zingers actually affected me). As I'm typing this, I just had another zinger (lower right, where my very first one occured). First one this a.m. (and about 10 hr after the last one).