Teeth whiteners
 

I'm looking for the best over-the-counter teeth whitener and would like some "testimonials" from users. Sounds like a good study for Consumer's Reports!

According to Clark Howard (a consumer advocate), Crest White Strips are really good. I know one person who has used them and he was really impressed.

Also, I don't know if you smoke, but Targon is a great mouthwash. I smoke cigars and nothing gets rid of the residue like that stuff.

I've used the Crest White Strips in the past. I really did notice that my teeth became a brighter shade of white. Unfortunately, they made my teeth really sensitive and I'd get sharp little pains shooting through the nerves in my gums when I had them on. The results only last about a month and then you have to repeat the process over again.

I had the exact same problem with them, and with any whiteners, it's not a pleasant sensation at all.

My brother in law is a dentist and he gave me Colgate Overnight prescription whitening gel. You use it with a tray in your mouth overnight.

Well I gagged on it all night and it made me nauseous, and it didn't whiten all that much.

Then I tried Colgate Simply White Night which you brush on your teeth. Seemed to rub off as soon as I closed my mouth, and I couldn't see any improvement at all

Finally tried Crest White strips and was surprised. They worked great and no nausea or sensitivity for me. Now all the women love me...

I'm actually using Crest White strips right now. Once in a while my gums will get sore/ bleed, but not on a regular basis. I used to drink lots of soda when I was a kid, so my teeth aren't so white. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

what exactly do you do with these strps?

it's like a piece of tape that you put over your teeth -- then go about your business.

They don't interfere with talking -- but it's probably best to sleep withthem on.

Go to your dentist - they sell these Whitestrips Supreme (i believe that's the name they gave it, I was just there). They're different from the the over the counter type in that it takes 3 weeks instead of 2, and has a higher concentration of the whiteners. I saw some fact sheet that says it's as affective as 4 over the counter types. It costs about 50-60, instead of the regular 25-30, but it's worth it.

You will definitely notice a difference, it's great. I'd highly recommend going out and buying a tube of Arm and Hammer Advance White toothpaste as well, it really helps maintain the whiteness, I get compliments all the time now.

i just bought some whitening strips and i'm hoping that it works. diddnt try it yet.

Hrrrm I did some searching, I found this http://www.dentist.net/crestwhitestrips.asp

That looks like a good price compared to what you just said, I am considering getting some and trying it out.

One question though: How long do the effects last? I don't want to be spending $40 EVERY month.

This sounds like a friggin' commercial for Crest White Strips...:lol:

Rembrandt has a 2-hour whitening kit, it's a gel you put in some silicone mold thingies that you stick on your teeth. I used it late at night and ended up falling asleep, so they were on my teeth for more like 8 hours. No ill effects, and my teeth were MUCH whiter.

Crest whitestrips worked really well for me.

I started the Colgate Simply White one yesterday, so it's a little early to tell how effective it is. Will try and rely on my crappy memory to pop back to this thread in 13 days.

I used the Crest Whitestrips and they did nothing really noticable at all to my teeth. They were a little bit of a pain. I think you have to leave them in for 20 minutes at a time. They also don't cover all of your teeth, they only cover the teeth that are readily visible in the front.
I also used that stuff you brush on out of a bottle - forget the name. This was a little more of a pain as you have to keep the teeth dry after you have painted them for about 30 or 60 seconds. This product also did nothing really noticable to the whiteness of my teeth.
I spoke to my dentist about this and got conflicting advice. The dental assistant told me to use the Crest Whitestrips as they use pretty much the same strength bleech. My Dentist told me that it is best to have them professionally done with the custom tray and bleech and so forth. I am going to have them done professionally so I will let you know how that turns out.
There is also the laser procedure that is fashionable right now. It goes for around $10,000 cdn and there are no gaurantees that it will work for everyone.
I think that the ONLY gaurantee for ultra white teeth are veneers (spelling) but that is extreme!!

My wife has tried most if not all OTC products and none have really given her that dazzling look she was going for.

However of all of them the Crest Whitestrips did whiten them up somewhat. Not the super sparkling white she was going for but it did make a little change, enough that I noticed. Not that she has brown, yellow, or stainded teeth or anything like that.

Let me relate to you the following pertinent information...not everyone's teeth will whiten significantly. If you have a lot of existing fillings on your teeth or crowns (neither of which will be changed by bleach) you will never notice a significant change. If your teeth became dark due to medication (i.e. tetracycline) you took as a kid when the teeth were forming, it may take a long time to see any notiocable difference. As far as OTC methods are concerned, the best is Crest Whitestrips. They are inexpensive and very effective. Just a few concerns.....they are relatively small and only cover from your eye tooth to your eye tooth. you have to adapt them well to your teeth if you want them to bleach evenly and this may be difficult if your teeth are crooked. Finally, depending upon your coffee, cola, tea and red wine intake, as well as cigarrete smoking habits and your personal preferences, you will have to repeat the process every 6 months to 2 years. A better option would be to go to your dentist and get a custom fit flexible tray which you fill with bleaching gel and leave in your mouth for about 2 hours a day for about two weeks. This will give the most effective and predictable results. Initially it is more expensive (In my office $200/per arch vs $80 for the Whitestrips) but assuming you dont lose the custom fit tray, you can buy a refil of the bleaching gel for about $25. All methods of bleaching will make your teeth sensitive for the two weeks that you are bleaching your teeth. Hope this helps

Thanks for the info swark.

I have a question regarding the Crest Whitestrips. There seems to be 3 different varieties out there. The regular over the counter kind, Professional and Supreme, each with an increasing concentration of whiteners. Supposedly the "Professional and Supreme" versions are not supposed to bavailable in stores. My question is, do the Pro/Supreme strips offer any increased effectiveness over the regular OTC edition?

you may save a day or two by using the higher concentration strips.....however it is a known fact that the higher the concentration, the higher the percentage of people who complain of sensitivity. The sensitivity is completely reversible however. My advice is to stick to the lower concentration.

I tried crest white strips awhile back, and noticed virtually noc hange. I finally bit the bullet and got a whitening try and bleach from the dentist, cost $300. Boy does it ever work though. Crest white strips can really only take you so far. If you want quite a noticable difference you may have to pay more money. My teeth seem dazzling white now!

Ok So I bought some white strips today from a grocery store and I am going to try them out... if they don't work I'll ask the dentist for the tray method since I am due for a cleaning in the next few months.

I noticed that the dentist strips definitely worked better than the OTC ones. I wanted to get the last of the stains from several years of working at Starbucks out of my teeth, and they definitely did the job. I feel like they'd get your teeth whiter than the OTC ones, regardless of whether you are just starting to whiten or have done whitestrips in the past. It's really nice getting lots of compliments on a gleaming smile.

And the Arm and Hammer whitening toothpaste is key! I definitely notice that the shine and whiteness isn't going away or fading... it's no more expensive than other toothpastes.

So this is day 3 of the OTC Crest white strips and I have already seen a definite improvement. I was really not expecting much in terms of results and I am already surprised. Gums are starting to get a little tingly when I put them on, but it's tolerable.

Just to let everyone know..... the whitestrips made a huge difference on my teeth. My teeth are actually white now! I'm using about half a pack of the Crest Premium strips once every 5 months or so, I'm careful not to overdo it.

I've tried Crest White strips. They work, but be warned, they're strong. The instructions said to use it twice a day for .... I don't know, 3 weeks or something. I used them once a day for one week, and stopped. I was were I wanted to get to. If you over bleach your teeth, it just looks odd.

I have a friend that tried them as well, and she did the same thing (used them for about half the recomended time) and here teeth look good. So, do that, or use a more subtle tooth whitener. People (in general) don't have alot of patience, they want results now, so I think alot of the tooth whiteners are a bit stronger than they need go be.

If you teeth or gums get senstive, I think it says to stop using them for awhile. I'm too lazy to go get the box out of the bathroom to look at the instructions.