I’ve been using Crest Whitestrips as well as whitening toothpaste for a few months and I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere with my teeth. They are a little whiter but I was hoping after a few months for a dramatic difference. Is there something I’m doing wrong? Or something else I should be doing?
Becky
Dear Becky,

Teeth Bleaching Trays
You have a couple of things working against your efforts here. First, while Crest Whitestrips do work, they are significantly weaker than anything you would get with your dentist. Plus, they only cover about six teeth, while most smiles are eight to ten teeth wide. I know a lot of people think they’d save money by using an over the counter kit, but it would take so many boxes of treatments to equal one teeth whitening treatment with your dentist that you are not really saving money.
The second thing working against you is the whitening toothpaste. Almost every brand of whitening toothpaste uses abrasives. While this does remove surface stains it also creates micro scratches on the surface of your tooth enamel. This has the long term effect of causing your teeth to more readily pick up stains.
The one whitening toothpaste that I know does not damage tooth enamel is Supersmile toothpaste. This uses a protein pellicle that safely removes stains while protecting the enamel. It is even safe on cosmetic dental work.
Honestly, nothing will get your teeth whiter than take home trays provided by your dentist. This will even get them whiter than Zoom Whitening if you are persistent with it. As you’ve spent several months using Crest Whitestrips, I don’t think you’ll have a problem. In fact, you’ll get dramatic results much sooner.
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