burntme's Full Review: Crest Whitestrips Dental Whitening System Strips P...
...brushed my teeth with Pepsodent. The old jingle used to be used to pitch a toothpaste called Pepsodent, back in the 1950's. In the 1950's I was a little kid and didn't care one way or the other about white teeth........ until the late 1960's when I became a teenager. I envied kids with whiter teeth than mine and wondered if my toothpaste was not doing a good enough job.
Fast forward to now.... there is a new kid in town and it is tooth whitening kits.
I will preface my Crest experience with the professional dentist experience. Here goes....
The war was on between dentists calling the over the counter strips "dangerous" and foolhearty, and only professional cleaning could get my teeth white. On the other side, over the counter tooth whitening kits. Funny they never bothered to mention whitening until the competition went over the counter at the local drug stores. So, for my first whitening experience, of my now VERY yellow old teeth, yes, all of them are still mine and just 2 molar crowns, I got talked into the $150 job via dentist. To my disappointment, this professional procedure was not accomplished in minutes in the dentist's chair. He made a mold of my teeth and custom dental trays, and provided me with 2 tiny syringes full of peppermint flavored whitener messy stuff to take home, that I had to leave on for FOUR HOURS at a time. Each treatment left my teeth very sensitive to heat, cold, touch, eating. But my teeth did get a few shades whiter as well as it lightened my pocketbook. After those first 2 vials were gone, I had to drive back to the dentist, 24 more miles, and pick up my remaining 2 syringes of more potent whitener. I couldn't imagine another 4 days of this routine and pain.
Then the worst.
My nearly invisible trays went missing somehow, seemingly just as hard to find as a contact lens at a beach covered with dead jellyfish. I had no way to use my remaining doses of professional whitener. So I never did get to finish my "professional AMA approved" by dentist. My teeth didn't get as white as promised, my gums were tortured, my teeth got sensitive, and I was out $150. NEVER AGAIN.
The Competition
So now we come to over the counter whiteners.
The Walgreens copycat strip experience
The Walgreen strips are big, bulky and you leave them on for a lot longer than the Crest strips. They are also a lot more messy, slide off your teeth during treatment. Collect saliva and get diluted to the worthless stage. But that is another review. I dropped that in here for comparison value for you. The Crest Whitestrip Experience
This kit includes:
14 whitening strips for upper teeth 14 whitening strips for lower teeth Directions in English and Spanish A best used by date A really nice storage box with a mirror
Packaging A handy hard plastic case in which the strips are neatly stored. There is a little mirror built into the inside of the lid for convenience. The packaging is overkill, not too eco friendly and probably at least triples the cost. The box can be re-used to store earrings or other stuff if you want, or give to your kids to decorate during craft time. I could not find a recycle symbol on it, so am not sure if the box can be recycled. I could live without it, but it’s a nice presentation, keeps the product dry and clean, and if you leave it on the bathroom sink, advertises to all your visitors what you use to whiten your teeth. Do not do this if you have young kids.
Store your kit in a cool place, extreme heat will affect efficacy.
****Keep out of the reach of children!***** Application
Start by washing your hands with soap and water. Using latex gloves are optional, if you want that dental-pro ambiance, go for it. The kit is user friendly. The upper and lower strips are packaged individually in color coded and marked mylar packets to distinguish upper and lower. The packets can be torn open, revealing your clear plastic textured whitening strip which is peeled from a rectangular polyester film. This is the trickiest part, but not too tricky. Pay attention to which side has the gel. I thought this would be easy but one time I didn't pay attention and I actually could not tell which side had the gel since it is very thin layer on the strip. You want to peel it carefully so that it can be applied as intended to your teeth. Pay close attention to which side goes on your teeth. The directions say they work best if the teeth are NOT brushed first, but drying them first is best.
The strips resemble a clear bandaid and spanned my teeth from just behind my canine teeth. Before you wrap around the excess, shove the flat parts into the spaces the best you can as described below. The strip is coated with a whitening gel and is applied gel-side, directly to your teeth. Place it as close to your gum line as possible, but preferably not on your gums to avoid irritation. Make sure you mold it to every nook and cranny. I use my fingernail, but a toothpick also works good for doing that. Start at the center then work outwards. The strips slide easily on the teeth. Fold the excess over your teeth and tuck to the backside. If you get gel on your fingers, wash them immediately or you risk bleaching your clothes, towels, furniture, the cat that just jumped up on the sink to see what you are up to..... Remember this is peroxide and it whitens more than teeth!! It’s not very messy though and you’ll be an expert in no time. It is recommended applying to dry teeth. I use a tissue and wipe my teeth before applying the strips. Since my lower teeth never show when I smile, I don't bother with the lower strips. I think I will try using them on my son's upper teeth so we get double bang for the buck. His teeth are smaller than mine. In these tough economic times, why not treat two for one?
Size doesn't matter ...much
The top strip is longer than the bottom strip and both are plenty long to cover your chompers. Everybody is different, but I assure you it will be more than enough. Like I said, the tops work fine for my uppers, and my son will wear the lowers on his uppers. The strips are not contoured like the Walgreen brand and much easier to manuever and stay on. They are flat like thin bandaids, just try to center them the best you can for even coverage. After applying, wash your hands again, or at least rinse them off good.
Timing the treatment
Wear the strips for 30 minutes, remove by simply sliding them off and tossing them in the trash being careful not to get the gel on your linens or clothes. Be sure to wash your hands after removing them. Your teeth will be covered in a thin layer, just a bit of slimy tasteless gel at which point I just rinse vigorously with water to remove, and brush if I feel like it. You can wipe your teeth, or let the gel dissolve in your mouth, it is safe. Wearing the strip more than 30 minutes, will not accelerate whitening. After 30 minutes they are less effective, but I let them stay on for a bit longer, say 45 minutes JUST IN CASE they might whiten one little iota more... IF I have the time and IF I feel like it.
Play it again, Sam
Use twice a day. I use the strips after breakfast and rinse out the oatmeal scraps, and then again an hour or so before bed. Do what works for you. (you can wear them one set after another, or whatever suits your schedule). You barely notice them. The time flies, as you get ready for your day, read the news, watch a little TV, wash dishes etc. You can do ALMOST anything while you wear them. Curl your hair, put on your makeup, shave, going over your day planner. If you are getting dressed, be sure to keep your mouth closed, which means no yelling at the kids or spouse while sliding into your slip, blouse, dress etc or you risk getting the gel/peroxide on your outfit and thus ruining your day.. Talking is a bit challenging, eating or drinking is a no-no, so take a good drink of water before you start the application. I dare say I have used these on the commute to work if I fail to have time (or forget) before dashing out the door to apply the strip. Cell phone use is a no-no while driving in this state, so it gives me another good excuse to not use the cell while driving. Be sure to have a disposal plan like an empty paper cup or napkin etc handy. You do NOT want to pitch the used strips out the car window, they might stick to your car paint, or that of a passing car, and really get you upset if you don't know they probably won't harm the finish. Don't risk it, and don't temp road rage of your commute-mates.
Taste Test
It's not offensive and I barely noticed it. There is no flavor at all. No mint, no cinnamon, no nothing flavor. Don’t worry about swallowing a small amount. It’s safe and will not cause any ill effects, except to your oral bacteria, those critters will probably be met by the grim reaper, an added benefit of the product. And that just might make your breath a bit sweeter, yes?
Side effects. Read on before you get scared.
Please try to be careful and not get the product on your gums. Sometimes it happens and you might experience a minor bit of temporary irritation. Brushing your teeth before applying the Crest Whitestrips will rough up the gums and make them more suseptable to the effects of peroxide, and cause irritation. So Crest recommends not brushing your teeth right before applying the strips.
The Help Line
Crest Whitestrips customer service recommends waiting 30 minutes between brushing your teeth and applying the strips. Their phone number is 1-800-395-8423.
I noticed just a very minor bit of sensitivity to hot and cold on about day 5 or so. It wasn’t bad enough for me to discontinue the treatment schedule, and it didn’t get worse. I didn’t have any problems by day 7 and I suspect the sensitivity was a case of "expecting the worst" anyway, (the scenario is printed on the back of the box) so I tried not to think about it and lo and behold, no more sensitivity.
Checking Progress, the Mirror test
With my 40th year alumni weekend bearing down fast, I was getting desperate to make my teeth sparkle and gleam to dazzle even brighter than my snow white hair. Yellow teeth look yellower with white hair, so this was REALLY REALLY important!! I have to admit, that after every single treatment I had my reading glasses on carefully trying to scrutinize the tiniest improvement, which seemed to be a lot on day one then not much until.....
the 5th strip was used I noticed a bigger difference, but I was really looking hard and had out my color chart provided by my ADA sanctioned, $150 dentist whitener kit. By the 6th strip, my sister finally noticed a difference. I’m not speaking in terms of continuous days, because honestly there were days I forgot/didn't have time/had an excuse to skip.... and I only used the kit once, or not at all on some days. But at least I got it done by Alumni Weekend, the event that comes around annually, but every 10 years is a big deal for honor years, and this being our 40th anniversary of post high school, that is a lot of us oldsters comparing aches and pains, weight gains or maintained (or lipo'd off, or worked off the hard way) and of course, you can't help noticing *who* got yellow teeth, brown teeth, dentures or hit the bleach!
Making Progress
I thought by the 5th day, my teeth were probably as white as they were going to get. Lo and behold 6th of treatment, there was a noticable difference! And by the 7th day, and last of the upper strips, my teeth had reached the max they could achieve. I finished using all the upper strips in roughly 10 days for the "7 day" treatment. I was beginning to worry I had bought too small of a kit! But any whiter, my teeth might start looking phoney.
What to Expect..... or not
Product whitens just natural teeth, not dentures, fillings, crowns, bridges or other appliances inside the mouth. But of course it will whiten the towels, your fingers, clothes etc... so keep that in mind.
Note(s) of caution
If you think or know you have a cavity, tooth damage, loose filling, or any suspicious things in your mouth, be it teeth, gums, tongue, checks etc, I wouldn’t recommend using the kit until you’ve seen your dentist or other health professional to ascertain your risk. Of course be prepared for the "ours is better than that" pitch to try to sell you the $150 (or more) "professional experience.
******Again... Keep this out of the reach of children!!!!******
* Consult your dentist if using on children under age 12. and please supervise every single second if you do use this on your children. * Do NOT swallow the plastic strip. * Avoid contact with eyes. If you get product in the eyes, flush profusely with fresh water. * Avoid skin contact. Wash skin if exposed to product or irritation and / or staining-bleaching could result.
Sweeten the package??
Hey Crest: How about including a color chart like my dentist had provided in my expensive kit, to show shade samples to measure our progress? It’s enocouraging to say “my teeth are whiter”. How many shades did they improve? How fast is my treatment working for me and is this worth the price in time and money? If I am going to recommend this to my friends, family, co-workers and former classmates, why not provide a chart so I can brag a bit about drinking green tea, herb tea and can erase the evidence with Crest WhiteStrips?
Grand Finale, end result, grand slam, home run.....
I am satisfied, my teeth are appreciably whiter. Family noticed, old classmates commented, questioned if they dared, and complimented. Few people were aware I was using a kit, and some people didn’t know at all. But everybody had a second look. I wasn't embarrassed to smile anymore. My teeth weren’t even that discolored when I decided to whiten this time, since several years worth of coffee, tea and grapejuice already got lightned somewhat by the Dentist's professional kit.
I Hereby recommend...
I’m going to use Crest Whitestrips "Premium" or their successors, again some day, because the cost was well worth the results, not to mention being a whole lot less expensive, less mess, than the dental clinic and taking less time. I can’t imagine paying for professional whitening again when I can spend less than $30.00 for gleaming teeth.
What Else to Expect
According to Crest's statement, results should last 18 months! Time will tell. But for now I am happy and confident I can continue to enjoy my teas and grape juice. I gave up coffee. Your expectations should be on a par with what any whitening kit can do. This will whiten natural teeth with superficial stains. It won’t reverse discoloration due to illness, injury, or medication. It will not whiten crowns, caps, fillings, bonding, veneers, dentures, or other dental restorations, neither will it harm them. Product is safe for enamel and the artificial appliances you might have in your mouth.
Customer Satisfaction.... the guarantee
If you aren’t satisfied with the results after one kit use, you can use a second consecutive kit without concern. I’m not a smoker, but if you are a heavy smoker, a second (or 3rd) kit may be neccesary to achieve results. It helps a lot if you quit smoking before using this product, then after your treatment is complete, don't start smoking again, and your teeth will stay whiter longer, and you just might even save your health and gums. Besides, if you quit for 7 or 14 days, that is the worst of the quitting battle!! If you’re still not satisfied with the kit, there is a money back guarantee! Simply save the UPC code and receipt and you will be reimbursed up to 60 days from date of purchase. Call 1-800-395-8423 or visit www.whitestrips.com. The website is full of helpful information.
What is in it??
Ingredients: (copied from back of the box) Water, Glycerin, Hydrogen Peroxide, Carbomer 956, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Saccharin
The Bottom Line
I highly recommend Crest Whitestrips, but encourage you to check out the website before you making your purchase. There is an informative chart with information on each kit to best suit your needs or budget. It is a good comparative tool and can save you time at the store reading boxes and agonizing while strangers are distracting you, if not your kids whining "can we GO NOW?" "I want candy" etc.. , and some folks are bothered by the overhead surveillance cameras. So shopping online before hand makes in store shopping a bit easier and you go in there informed and know exactly what you want and what to expect to pay.
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:Clinically Proven To Remove Up to 14 Years of Stain Build-Up In Just 7 Days - Satisfaction Guaranteed. Contents: 28 Strips: 14 For...More at Amazon Marketplace
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