How can I get my teeth white without damage?

If you have braces and din't go to a check-up (didnt get it tightened) for a long time, does it damage teeth?

• i had on braces but haven't went to a check-up for like 6-7 months. I wonder if it damage ur teeth. Technically, i don't think it would cuz its ON ur teeth and even if u get check-up its still gonna be there, just not tightened. Also, when you close/open ur mouth and u bite down, does the bottom row aligh perfectly with the top, mines doesn't. When i open/cloe my mouth the bottom teeth seem to be a little toward the left when i bite down.

• Answer:

  All your doing is prolonging your treatment (making you start over) because the teeth are settled into the position they are in right now. Remember how it felt when you first got them? You'll feel the same way when you go back. You're also inviting decay to develop under and around bands and brackets by not having your scheduled adjustments. We look for a lot of things besides just tightening your braces each month. Yes, you probably do bite to one side more than the other because your teeth haven't been positioned correctly yet. You have to move the teeth around or loosen them up in the bone to shift them into the proper position for correct alignment and occlusion. Yours are just "sitting" not moving, shifting or anything right now. I would advise you to go back to your orthodontist and have them removed if your not serious about continuing with your treatment by keeping appointments and taking care of them as you should. Looks to me as if you might just be too young to handle the responsibility of orthodontic treatment. Good luck with what ever you decide to do, but hopefully you will go back and get on track with treatment. Also leaving them as they are will cause you a life time of pain with TMJ due to your bite being off on that one side.