With the popularity of teeth whitening there are literally hundreds if not thousands of products to choose from. So how do you sort out all the bad ones and get a good one?

Well, unfortionately there really isnt’a formula for that, but there are some recommendations that can make the process a whole lot easier;

First, you should buy a product that is manufactured from a well known, trustworthy company. With so many companies trying to capitalize on the whitening frenzy you will run into some fly-by companies that you have never heard of or will hear from in the future. So stay with those companies that are well known and are around for many years to come.

Secondly, look for teeth whitening that fits your life style. There are many choice from white strips to mouth trays to whitening pens and paintons. With everyone being so busy it’s essential to find a whitening system that will work with your schedule. Some tooth whitening systems take 20 minute per day, while others can take a few hours. So, regardless of the system you choose, make sure you set aside the appropriate time to complete your teeth whitening for the day.

Third, you need a tooth whitening that will get the job done. Bottom line is you want white teeth right? Make sure you are choosing a system with the appropriate strength to get you the whiteness you are looking for. A recommended strength should be 6-8% hydrogen peroxide or 18-25% carbomide peroxide. Now keep in mind, if you have sensitive teeth you will not want to go this high. For this I would recommend the lower strengths of 3-4% hydrogen peroxide and 9-12% carbomide peroxide. You may have to whiten your teeth for a longer period of time, but your sensitivity will be greatly reduced.

And last but not least, it must be cost effective. If you are having to spend hundreds of dollars every month on tooth whitening products you are better off spending the money on a 1-hour whitening treatment from our dental office.

With that said, you also don’t want to buy the cheapest tooth whitening product you find either. Cheap tooth whitening products can cause more damage than they’re worth, plus the chances of them working are pretty slim.

The cost of a good tooth whitening system will typically run you about $45-$100 dollars. Anything less than $45 you need to look at the size of the syringes or quantity they are giving you. If it’s only for a day supply then you are better off getting the bigger kit. Your kit should last you at least a week if not two.

Anything over $100 usually isn’t worth the price. Usually when it’s that price you are probably buying a kit
of some sort that has a combination of items. In that case that it can be a really good buy.

TIP: If you want your tooth whitening syringes to last longer, store them in your refridgerator!

Okay, so now that we’ve outlined what to look for in a whitening product lets look at some of the products available today.

First up, Crest White Strips (or any strip in general). It’s no secret that crest white strips have been a huge success. The simplicity of being able to just put on a strip and whiten your teeth has really cought peoples attention. But the biggest reason they are so well known is the company who produced them, Crest. People love the name and love their products so it’s a natural fit to buy their teeth whitening product.

Bottom line though, do they work? Yes, they work, but not very effectively. We have come across a lot of people complain about the strips sliding down their teeth and not staying on correctly. Although that is a problem, it’s no the main problem you should worry about.

The biggest problem with crest whitestrips is since they are a strip, the whitening agent does not come in contact with the whole surface of your teeth. This can lead to blotchy marks left on the tooth which no one prefers.

If you or someone you know has great results with them, that is fantastic! Keep using them!

Out of five stars, I give crest whitestrips a 2 stars.

Second up, Ultradent Teeth Whitening Syringes (or any other syringe system). We have used Ultradent products in our office for years, and still do to this day. We also use Discus Dental whitening products
so we don’t really have a certain preference, they both work.

The bottom line with these whitening products is they are syringe base. What this mean is you have to wear a tray filled with whitening liquid over your teeth.

The advantages to this are the trays are molded to your teeth so the whitening gel gets in contact with your entire surface of your tooth. This makes sure you whiten your whole tooth and nothing but the tooth (sorry, I just had to through that in there).

Another benefit is the tray actually stays on better than the strips because they are formed to your teeth. This results in not getting the slippage people complained about with the white strips. Again, with picking out a gel you want to make sure you get a strength that fits your needs and sensitivity. Don’t go overboard or you’ll be sorry.

Wear time is usually between 30-60 minutes so that is easy to fit into anyone’s busy schedule.

Out of five stars, I give whitening syringes a 4 star.

Last up, Tooth Whitening Kits. Now don’t get these confused with the whitening syringes above. Whitening kits are just that, a kit. They typically consist of all the gel syringes, self molding teeth trays and a caring case. In some instances you can find kits that even come with other products such as breath minds, mouth washes and other hygiene products.

What I like about the teeth whitening kits is you get everything you need in one package. You don’t have to go buy five different things or get molds made from a dentist. You buy your whitening kit and you are ready to begin whitening. The tooth trays are usually pretty simple to use and come with directions. After a few minutes, your trays are molded and you are ready to put the gel in the tray and start whitening.

Out of five stars, I give tooth whitening kits a 5 star!

Here is a tooth whitening kit that I highly recommend. Reason being, the company is a well known company, they sell high end products, they have positive feedback from past customers, they are very well priced and they have products that actually work.

I recommend the TheraBrite PLUS Whitening Kit. It comes with mouth trays, 3 syringes, plastic caring case, a small brush, and even some breath mints. Can’t beat that!

I hope this information was helpful for you in determining a good over-the-counter tooth whitening kit.

If you prefer us to make your teeth whitening trays, not a problem, give us a call at 916-721-3368 and we’ll be happy to set that up for you.

If you would like a quicker process and have white teeth in about an hour, give us a call and we’ll schedule that in for you as well.

Tags: Crest Whitestrips, Over The Counter, Teeth Whitening, Tooth Whitening, Ultradent Whitening, Whitening Kit, Whitening Product, Whitening Syringes, Whitening Trays

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 4:54 pm and is filed under Teeth Whitening Questions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.