Over The Counter Tooth Whitening Gels Review
Because of their low cost, tooth whitening gels used in over the counter products such as Crest Whitestrips are very popular for those seeking to whiten teeth on a budget. The chemicals used in over the counter tooth whitening gels and professional tooth whitening gels are the same but at a much lower cost.
The main and biggest difference is in the formula and strength of the teeth whitening gel . Which are some of the best products to whiten my teeth at home?There are a few main over the counter tooth whitening gels that are very popularly used.
Crest Whitestrips is an adhesive strip that is coated with and worn in contact with teeth. Since the amount of teeth whitening gel on this tiny strip is very little, you may have to use many strips to allow any significant results to show. Also, because teeth surface is uneven, the tooth whitening gel strip may not be able to come into contact with teeth surface resulting in a botchy appearance especially near the gum areas where teeth enamel is thinner and the teeth color shows through.
Colgate Simply White comes in the form of a teeth whitening gel applicator that you apply directly onto teeth. The applicator enables you to control the amount of tooth whitening gel to be dispensed allowing you greater control but the strength of the tooth whitening gel is much weaker than professional tooth whitening gels.
Another problem is that saliva will dilute the teeth whitening gel further reducing its effectiveness in whitening teeth. As a result, you need to make many applications for results to show.
Professional Teeth Whitening Kit uses a custom mouthpiece that puts tooth whitening gel in constant contact with teeth surface making it the most effective method of whitening teeth. The custom fitted dental tray allows you to go about you daily activities while the gel whitens teeth. After 2 hours, you should see some results. You can also wear them at night with professional strength with results that show 5 or 10 days later.
It is also the most pricey tooth whitening gel kit.
Here are some reviews from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and customer reviews of these over the counter tooth whitening gels.
Professional Teeth Whitening Kit: Contains 17 or 22% carbamide peroxide.
WSJ review: "The best whitening system was the one administered by a dentist. Pricey but effective. By far the costliest of the methods we used, but it did give the best results."
Customer review: This is the most preferred tooth whitening gel kit and customers report it as being easy to use and comfortable. It whitens teeth evenly and faster than other tooth whitening gels.
Crest Whitestrips: Contains 8% hyrodgen peroxide
WSJ review: "The Whitestrips caused sharp pain in our teeth a few times, like what you get when you bite into a frezzing ice-cream. Your suppose to be able to wear two strips simultaneously, but that opened the drool floodgates and the strips simply fell off. After three weeks we had a slight "half shade" improvement in whiteness, a meaurable change but not one that a casual observer might notice."
Customer reivew: There are complaints that Crest Whitestrips do not stay in place as it gets wet with siliva. They do not whiten teeth evenly and takes a long time for results, if any to show.
Colgate Simply White: Contains 6% hydrogen peroxide
WSJ review: "Colgate Simply white came in a bottle that looks like white-out. The twist-off cap is an itty-bitty brush for applying gel twice a day. The hard part was keeping your mouth open for 30 seconds while the goop dries."
Customer review: Complaints of difficulty in keep saliva and lips away from the solution while it dries. It takes a long time to dry, does not whiten teeth evenly and is not effective in whitening teeth.
Whitening teeth at home may be troublesome at times and certainly calls for some patience for results to show. But given the huge difference in price when compared to professional dentist teeth whitening cost, even with the most expensive Professional Teeth Whitening Kit at over $100 is many times cheaper. If your teeth stains are not severe, this is definitely a cost effective teeth whitening gel to use.
