Teeth Whitening Woes: Strips, Gels, and Toothpaste
If you’re an avid reader of my blog here, you’ll have realized that I never had much luck with the strips, gels, and special formula whitening toothpastes that you might find in stores. I tried them all, and, with little to no results, I just wasn’t satisfied! So let’s look at the methods I did try and then I’ll tell you what actually worked and gave me the celebrity white smile I wanted!
Whitening Strips
Of all the methods I tried, the whitening strips were probably actually the most effective. The problem? I guess my teeth are really sensitive because after continued use, I had to stop. My teeth and gums were in so much pain I just wasn’t able to continue the treatment and use all of the strips I purchased which was, of course, unfortunate because they were a little pricey!
I tried only applying the whitening strips for about half the recommended usage time, but it was to no avail. After treatment, my teeth and gums were pretty sensitive for quite a while and I just couldn’t take it. Time to move on.
Whitening Gels
The whitening gel was a product by Colgate that I purchased after trying the strips. I thought since you apply the gel directly to the tooth I wouldn’t have problems with my teeth and gums being too sensitive. I mean, ideally, none of the gel would even touch my gum, so there wouldn’t be any problem. Well, technically, I was definitely right about that!
The problem with the whitening gel was that it was really difficult to apply! It came with a little brush that you’re supposed to use to apply the gel, but it was almost impossible to get the gel on all of my teeth without complication. I tried several times and I was never able to get it on perfectly and always worried that my uneven and imperfect application would cause my teeth to be blemished when the whitening process was complete.
After a couple days trying this product, I just didn’t have it in me to continue, especially with the thought in the back of my mind that my teeth would come out splotchy from the uneven application of the whitening gel.
Whitening Toothpastes
I didn’t have any problems with application or sensitivity with the whitening toothpaste. In fact, I still use it to this day. So what’s the problem, you might ask? Well, the problem with whitening toothpastes, it seems, is that they’re just not effective!
I’ve been using whitening toothpastes ever since I got it in my head that I needed a celebrity white smile, and I haven’t seen any measurable results. However, I’ll probably continue using them simply because maybe it will help keep my teeth nice and white!
What Actually Worked For Me?
Well, if you’ve read my blog here before, you’ll know that I am a huge fan of the Celebrity Smile whitening system. Of all the things I’ve tried to brighten my smile, this product is the one that finally worked and gave me that gleaming smile I always wanted.
I won’t go through the entire experience here since I already wrote about everything that didn’t work, but if you want you can read my previous post about my Celebrity Smile experience!