Review (4/5): Crest White Strips Do Work - A Dentist Reviews this Product
I am a dentist who recommends Crest White Strips because they do work to whiten teeth. Follow the directions in the box, and here are some further tips:
1. (Optional step) I recommend you first brush your teeth with water (don't use toothpaste) to remove the layer of plaque. Your enamel has pores and the pores need to be open for the chemical to penetrate. If you use a fluoridated toothpaste, the flouride may block the enamel pores. (Crest's instructions indicate you do not need to brush. I talked to a Crest representative on this point, and she indicated that the hydrogen peroxide will penetrate plaque, therefore this step is optional. The instructions indicate no brushing because they do not want fluoridated toothpaste on the teeth before whitening).
2. Use the strips twice per day for maximum efectiveness. The inner part of the strip has a chemical called carbamide peroxide (a 6% form of hydrogen peroxide; in-office dental whitening uses a 15-30% version of the same chemical) that causes the stains inside your teeth to be oxidized and turn white. Applying the strips has a small learning curve as you will probably bend or fold a couple of them before you get the technique down.
2. Leave the strips on for 30 minutes at a time. After thirty minutes your saliva has probably diluted the peroxide to the extent that it is no longer effective. You can reapply a new strip immediately if you chose, for the treatment requires one hour of treatment time per day to work. It does not matter if you do this in one continuous 60-minute period or two 30-minute periods. Do this for two weeks and your teeth should get whiter.
Disadvantages
1. The chemical may "burn" your gums. If you notice a burning sensation when you use the product, it is the peroxide oxidizing (or burning) your gums. Depending on how severe the burning is, it may cause you to stop the treatment. It is OK to stop the treatment for a day or two to let the gums heal. Once they feel normal again, resume treatment with the White Strips.
2. Your teeth may become senstiive during the two-week treatment time. Try to push yourself through the sensitivity if it is mild, but if it bothersome to cold water or air, take a day or two off to let the teeth settle down and then pick up where you left off.
3. The strips only cover your front teeth, so only your front teeth will bleach. You may notice the distinct difference between the back (unbleached) teeth and the front (bleached) teeth. Since most people notice the front 6 teeth anyway, this is not a concern. However, if you have a wide toothy smile, you may want to have a dentist make you a tray that will hold the chemical on the back teeth to whiten them too.
3. The bleaching effect works best on yellow stains. If your stains are due to tetracycline (brownish grey stains in a band on your teeth, your best bet is to have a dentist whiten your teeth as the dentist will use a tray to hold a more concentrated form of the chemical on your teeth for a longer period of time.
Crest White Strips work for the vast majority of people. Over time, you will get a result that should be whiter than when you started. Crest White Strips are a good place to start with bleaching, and if you are not satisfied with the results, you can then see your dentist for a more concentrated form of bleaching or other cosmetic options.
konedog DDS