# Whitening toothpastes: Do they work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 5, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitening-toothpastes-do-they-work/166642 "2003-04-05T05:22:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jellen92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@jellen92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellen92)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitening-toothpastes-do-they-work/166642/21 "2003-05-05T19:11:18Z")
The Crest Whitestrips work very well… also, Rembrandt whitening toothpaste works very well - it’s a little pricey for toothpaste though. My friend tried the Colgate whitening gel, but said she had to sit with her lips sticking out for 30 minutes so they wouldn’t touch her teeth, therefore leaving stretchmarks around her mouth and lips, which may look worse than yellow teeth… ---
**Author:** ![\_shaolin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/9de053/32.png) [@\_shaolin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_shaolin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitening-toothpastes-do-they-work/166642/22 "2003-05-05T19:16:13Z")
Disclaimer: I work for a company that specialises in making whitening toothpaste. My 2p worth: Whitening toothpastes are somewhat optimistically named. They are designed to be more effective at removing stains than regular toothpaste, but they will never change the natural colour of your teeth. Toothpastes with peroxide in claim to actually whiten your teeth. Here in europe the amount of peroxide that you are currently permitted to add to toothpaste (0.01% I think, but don’t quote me on that) has no discernible effect on the colour of your teeth. We ran tests recently that clearly showed this. In the US, although far higher levels are permitted, the effect is still…subtle, shall we say. Mixing peroxide with bicarbonate of soda - not sure I’d recommend this. Hydrogen peroxide is quite a harsh chemical, and I’m not sure it’d do your gums much good. Abrasivity - whitening toothpastes certainly used to be abrasive, but this is not true of all of them. The brand I work for trade a lot on the fact that it is less abrasive than some regular toothpastes. Read the box, if a whitening toothpaste is low abrasion, the manufacturer usually likes to boast about it. Whitening kits - these can be effective, but personally I would always want to get a dentist to carry out this sort of treatment. Covering your teeth with some sort of bleaching agent yourself is a tricky and uncomfortable process. imho. Any more questions, ask. If I don’t know, someone at work will. ---
**Author:** ![greck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ab992/32.png) [@greck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greck)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitening-toothpastes-do-they-work/166642/23 "2003-05-05T19:17:35Z")
My wife’s a dental student, so I get alot of free stuff. Whitening toothpaste: a little abrasive, mostly crap, doesn’t change anything noticeably Whitestrips: good, use sensodyne to counter sensitivity bottom teeth are really hard to work with, but they don’t really show much anyway. Bleaching trays are the sh\*t, those things work really well, but they’re really expensive, you have to get impressions taken which is tantamount to gagging on a half gallon of plaster, and if you have sensitive teeth, they’ll feel like they’re made of glass. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitening-toothpastes-do-they-work/166642/24 "2003-05-05T19:24:07Z")
I tried Whitestrips and saw no results at all. Fortunately I was able to get my money back from Crest as they were guaranteeing the results at the time. Check the box to see if they still offer the money-back guarantee and, if you want to invest the money for 6-8 weeks if it doesn’t work, no reason not to give it a shot. I brush with whitening toothpaste only because it costs the same as the non-whitening variety and AFAIK even if it doesn’t help it doesn’t hurt. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitening-toothpastes-do-they-work/166642/25 "2003-05-05T19:37:14Z")
I used the custom made trays through my dentist’s office prior to my wedding last year and before committing to a rather expensive bonding of my front upper teeth. Anyway, they worked absolute miracles and although relatively expensive (dental insurance does not cover them) it was worth every single penny spent. I find myself exceptionally skeptical of the toothpastes and the “strips” that seem popular now - there does not seem to me to be any way possible it’ll deliver the results I achieved. My smile was fantastic, until the 2nd day of my wedding reception when I chipped one of the newly bonded teeth. :\ ---
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitening-toothpastes-do-they-work/166642/26 "2003-05-05T20:00:16Z")
I used Colgate whitening gel like **jellen92** ’s friend. I thought the package said to keep your mouth dry for 30 _seconds_, not 30 minutes. After a few days I noticed a difference. I applied the gel after each nights’ brushing for two-and-a-half weeks and my teeth are a lot whiter. One must dry off one’s teeth with a cloth/paper towel and then “paint” on the (clear) gel. It’s pretty easy to use. I think the idea about why one must keep one’s teeth dry is that the peroxide gel dilutes in water. It has a very slight peroxide-y taste and makes your teeth feel a little sticky, but I didn’t mind using it. I have very sensitive teeth, and the gel didn’t hurt. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whitening-toothpastes-do-they-work/166642.md?page=1)