In my quest for whiter teeth, I shelled out close to thirty bucks for Crest Whitestrips. The Whitestrips worked, but when the results started to fade a few months later, I looked for an easier, cheaper option. I found Colgate Simply White, which is a clear whitening gel.

Packaging and Price

Colgate Simply White is available in a small .34 oz bottle with a brush for easy application. It looks somewhat like a bottle of white-out. It comes in a rectangular shaped box with the trademark Colgate banner at the top. The box is clear in the front so you can see the small bottle of whitener inside. You can find one of these boxes for about $8; however, I found a double box set for $12, and I couldn't pass it up.

Ingredients

Just in case you were wondering, Simply White contains Alcohol, Water, Urea Peroxide (Carbamide Peroxide), PEG 2M, Glycerin, Carbopol, Sodium Phosphate, and Phosphoric Acid as listed on the package.

How To Use

My one complaint with Crest Whitestrips was that the lower strips were too small to provide complete coverage of the lower teeth. I wanted something that would whiten more than just the front 6 lower teeth. Since Simply White is brushed on, the whitener can be applied directly to the teeth you want to become noticeably whiter.

To use Simply White, it is necessary to brush the teeth and dry the surface of them. After failed attempts with the hair dryer, I was successful at drying my teeth with a paper towel. After the surface of the teeth is dry, the whitening gel can be brushed on one tooth at a time. Once the gel has been applied, neither your lips nor tongue should touch the teeth. It is also recommended not to drink or eat anything for 30 minutes after applying the gel. This ritual is to be repeated twice a day for 14 days. Since the gel dries on teeth, it is not necessary to rinse or wipe the teeth.

Personal Experience

When I first started using Simply White, I was a little excited. I used it twice a day as directed. The whitener was easy to brush on, and after it was applied, I didn't have to think about it again. There was no messy gel to clean up and no strip to throw away, but I started to get tired of it. I wasn't noticing much of a difference in the color of my teeth after the first week and a half, so I started to forget to use it. What I didn't like most about using the gel was that nothing could touch the surface of the teeth for thirty seconds after application. Thirty seconds doesn't seem like much, but it feels like an eternity while you're holding your upper lip up against your nose.

Recommendation

I had enough gel to last a little beyond the 14 days. My teeth probably lightened a couple of shades, but it wasn't an incredible difference. My lower teeth were not as white as my upper teeth to begin with because I failed to use the Crest Whitestrips consistently, but the Colgate Simply White simply could not whiten enough to make them match. I think I realize now why they had a cheap, double set available. If you're looking to make your teeth a couple of shades lighter for a few bucks, then Simply White is not terrible, but I would highly recommend spending the $24 or so dollars to get the Crest Whitestrips instead.


Recommended: Yes