Choosing between the various at-home teeth-whitening products can be an overwhelming task. In my experience, there are a few things I do to maintain a dazzling white-smile that I have found extremely affordable.
Personally, I purchase “Crest 3D White Luxe Professional Effects Whitestrips”. They’re very easy to use and have one of the highest average reviews of all of the Crest brand whitening strips. Initially, I was a little turned off and reluctant due to the price. A box of 20 strips currently sells for about $40 on Amazon. However, I’m very happy I decided to purchase a kit because I receive many compliments on how white my teeth are.
The instructions recommend for one strip to be used daily and for it to be applied 30 minutes. I was concerned that this would make my teeth appear unnaturally white. I then decided to use 1 strip a day for 30 minutes for the first 3 days and would use one strip for maintenance when I felt my teeth needed it. I ended up using one strip a month after the first 3 days, so the kit actually lasted me well over a year.
If your teeth according to Lafayette Dentist Dr Guido are sensitive or you have tried whitening strips before and your teeth became sensitive, don’t immediately dismiss the product. Keep in mind you do not have to actually keep the strips on your teeth for the full 30 minutes. This may seem wasteful, however if teeth sensitivity is a concern for you, then using the product in a way that is going to be the most beneficial to you is important. If 30 minutes is too long for your teeth, try going down to 15 minutes, and then to 10 minutes. If after 10 minutes your teeth still become sensitive, discontinuing use of the kit should be your next step. If you still have most of the strips in the kit, I highly recommend reaching out to the Crest company and expressing your experience politely and asking for a refund. If you used the whitening strips and are completely unsatisfied with the results, Crest will refund your money.
If money is still a concern, looking for alternative buying options is a great idea. On Ebay, partially used kits, single strips, and smaller kits are sold for cheaper than a full-size kit and even then, these prices can be negotiable depending on the Ebay seller. You may even be able to buy one off of a friend if they’re using a whitening strip system you want to try.
Personally, I’ve had great results with just on Crest whitening strips kit. Over a year has passed since I bought my first kit, and my teeth are still glowing. That comes with a little low-cost work on my part. I’ve been able to maintain my results by using two products. Firstly, I use “Crest 3D White Arctic Fresh Rinse” about once daily or once every other day. Secondly, I’ve started incorporating an off-brand baking soda to remove surface stains. I simply add tooth-paste to my tooth-brush as usual and cover the tooth-paste with a layer of baking soda. This works surprisingly well, especially since the mouthwash contains hydrogen peroxide. I use baking soda on my teeth about once a week. The combination of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to whiten teeth has several supporting studies, one of which can be found in the Journal of Clinical Denistry. In fact, if your teeth need only a little whitening, the combination of the mouthwash and baking soda can leave you with satisfying results.