Do those tooth-whitening products in the supermarket actually work? I’m not speaking of toothpaste (“now with whitener!”) or other stuff (“tortilla chips… now with whitener!”) but of the other gunk: gel you stick in a mouthguard, strips you apply to your teeth, sticky goo that you apply with a brush.
Do they actually work as advertised? Or are they just expensive and useless?
They work to an extent, but generally you have to use them every day for several days to see a difference, and even then the effect is fleeting. They’re not strong enough to give you ridiculously bright teeth but you will see a difference.
You’re better off not wasting your money unless you’re using them for a specific event (and then plan ahead and start using them a week or so in advance).
They work a bit -I used them for 2 weeks before my wedding (in a fit of tooth related self-consciousness) and you could certainly see a difference. I was actually surprised at how effective they were. It doesn’t last forever or anything - in theory you repeat the treatment periodically – I think the basic pack costs something like $11 so for an important event I wouldn’t call it a waste of money. Just don’t expect miracles.
I have to disagree to some extent.
I did a full course of the non-prescription goo-covered strips. But, being the skeptic that I am, I had to make an experiment out of it. I only used the “tops,” so that at the end of the treatment, I’d have a control group.
Well, at the start of the treatment, my teeth were all pretty uniformly off-white. At the end, my upper teeth were quite a bit lighter than my lowers. I have to say, I think my smile was significantly, um, prettier. But when I did horse-face in the mirror, I could quite clearly see two shades.
The two-tone teeth* were noticeable for at least a year after the experiment.
*Band name!
I think a lot of this will vary based on your diet. If you drink a lot of coffee, red wine, or if you smoke the effect will diminish a lot faster. Also, some people’s teeth just take to it better than others. My husband can use them for the same amount of time I do and he always has a much better result. I think it depends on the enamel on your teeth.
I tried the strips while my SO used a custom moulded mouthpiece and gel from her dentist. I think I had to use them twice a day for two or three weeks, her stuff was stronger and was for 6 or 10 days.
As far as whiteness, the results were noticeable and pretty much the same, except the strips cost only, like a 10th of what the dentists stuff did. She on the other hand hand more uniform coverage, and the strips were too freakin’ small, so I had barely my top six front teeth whiter and when I smiled I just looked like a mutant rabbit or something.