Teeth Whitening Blog - What is the Best Way?

Lose Weight or White Teeth

After a few rounds of teeth whitening, we often debate whether the expense and hassle of teeth whitening and how it compares with other beauty techniques like weight loss.  After thinking about it over a few cosmo martinis - we put together this guide of pro's / con's:

Foods:
Teeth Whitening - Eat whatever you want - avoid staining foods like coffee, tea, and colored juices.
Weight Loss - Watch carefully what you eat.

Exercise:
Teeth Whitening - No exercise needed - just spend 30 minutes a day for about a week.
Weight Loss - Regular exercise required.

Cost:
Teeth Whitening - At least around $50 for home treatments - easily $500+ for dentist based more effective treatments.
Weight Loss - Can be done for little or nothing - just eat right and exercise.  We decided to invest $10 in a weight loss guide and found this "brutally honest" weight loss program as an e-book.  It's very helpful although no comparison to the ease of whitening our teeth.  It can't hurt to stay in shape, so we'll be working to follow the principles in the guide.  Stay tuned....

Home Tooth Whitening Countdown

Ok, so if your looking to whiten your teeth at minimum cost -- the first thing you need to cut out is visiting your dentist.  Here's a countdown of the top methods to whiten your teeth at home -- from worst to first:

#3  Natural White Pro Teeth Bleaching System

High, complex sounding things that seem to be very similar to toothpaste and mouthwash.  Very uncomfortable and messy trays.  You've got to boil the trays and they are mighty hot when you put them in your mouth.  $25 for 3% hydrogen peroxide.

#2  Ultra Plus White Complete Teeth Whitening System
Soft, foam ball like a Nerf ball you played with as a kid.  You bite into the soft foam Nerf ball to whiten.  Just as bad as Natural White, for $10 less @ only $15.

#1 (best!) Crest White Strips

It's like a band-aid you press against your teeth.  The band-aid is pre-coated with hydrogen peroxide gel.  Wal-Mart sells a cheaper alternative, but the material is much heavier and harder to mold around your teeth.  Double the hydrogen peroxide for tooth whitening of the other two options @ 6%.  Cost is much higher at $43, but there are discounts and basic versions available.  Major drawback is that it does not whiten your back teeth (molars) see our previous posts.

For all of these products, be careful of tooth sensitivity.  If your teeth become overly sensitive -- discontinue use for a few days until they return to normal.  An every other day schedule is very helpful to avoid sensitivity.

What the heck is Zoom Dental?

In researching teeth whitening options - we've found Zoom Dental to come up high in almost any review of the options to whiten your teeth.  Zoom Dental is a combination of a dentist applied gel, and dentist applied laser accelleration technique to whiten teeth.  The system is marketed via dentists although the company publishes extensive info on the internet. 

Oddly - there is no way to use the site to find a dentist that provides the Zoom Dental system.  Zoom Dental appears to compete with BriteSmile - whose website now only provides you to company-owned Britesmile clinics.   There is no info on the Zoom site explaining the cost of the system - since Britesmile sells directly through their clinics -- they can price it (around $400 starting).

Do you know anyone that has tried the laser technique?  Some say it's better .... others say its a useless gimmick....    What has been your experience for dental teeth whitening in the community?

Crest Whitening Strips Review

We've been trying out Crest Whitening strips for few years now for tooth whitening.  The product is a great deal and convenience at under $30, but has several challenges:

1.)  You need to use it twice a day for 30 minutes to whiten your teeth for a week.  It's comparable to other dental products for tooth whitening -- but the twice a day factor makes it a challenge. 

2.)  The strips only whiten your front teeth.  It leaves no change to your back teeth and molars.  It's a good value - but anyone looking closely can see a stark contract in the tooth color. The uneven whitening makes it a questionable deal - but is a good way to try out / experiment with tooth whitening without having to see (and pay) your dentist.

In summary - for around $30 - Crest Whitening Strips are a clever product to try out tooth whitening.  The time commitment and uneven whitening can be drawbacks but its a good way to start out.  What do you think?  Have you tried these?

Welcome to the Teeth Whitening Blog

Hello World - We are launching this blog to help guide you in choosing teeth whitening products.  Our multi-year quest for safe, effective, and rapid tooth whitening has been a twisted road - and we want to work to share our knowledge. 

In speaking with dentists, friends, and reading on the web - it's obvious there are a number of differing views regarding the effectiveness of various treatments and especially the use of lasers from specialized cosmetic dentists and Brite Smile.  We hope to provoke an active discussion on what products work and balance the cost and time of each of these products.

With price ranges for teeth whitening ranging from $15 to $500 and up -- it's important for (most of us!) to spend our money wisely.   We look forward to sharing a healthy discussion with the blog community and hopefully ending up with all of us having whiter teeth -- and some money left in our pocketbooks.