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358 of 365 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Strongest Crest At-Home Bleaching Product Available, April 20, 2009
As a dentist, I am often asked by patients and friends where to start in terms of selecting a bleaching product. Since Crest produces some very good products, I generally steer them to Crest products. However, there are a multitude of Crest bleaching products to select from, so where does one begin? Here is my advice in selecting and using Crest Bleaching products:
First, let's begin with Crest Whitestrips Supreme Professional Strength. The bleaching strip is different from all the other Crest Bleaching products in two ways: It has a 14% hydrogen peroxide bleaching gel, and the strip is 50% thinner than previous products. The primary advantage to this system is (in general) a quicker bleaching result, and less exposure to hydrogen peroxide, as there is less hydrogen peroxide in each strip (which is why the strip is 50% thinner). One bleaches for 30 minutes a day for 21 days for maximal result. Crest also claims less gum irritation by using this product.
A brief review of the other Crest bleaching products is in order to understand the other options available. Crest White Strips come in as many as 7 different formulations. This can be very confusing for the consumer! Please remember the key difference in all these products is the strength of the hydrogen peroxide gel, and of course the price. The higher the dose of hydrogen peroxide, the faster the bleaching result, and the most costly as well. Here is a quick summary of the products:
1. Crest White Strips Classic (6% hydrogen peroxide, 14-day treatment). 2. Crest White Strips Premium (10% hydrogen peroxide, 7-day treatment). 3. Crest White Strips Premium Plus (10% hydrogen peroxide, and has 12 additional strips).
4. Crest Pro Effects (10% hydrogen peroxide, 10-day treatment).
5. Crest Advanced Seal (10% hydrogen peroxide, 10-day treatment).
6. Daily Whitening Multicare (6% hydrogen peroxide, 5-minutes/day, 6-week supply)
7. Daily Whitening with Tartar Protection (6% hydrogen peroxide, 5-minutes/day, has a chemical that discourages tartar from attaching to the teeth, 38 upper and lower strips)
In using any of the Crest bleaching products, please follow the specified instructions that come with each product.
1. For most products, the instructions will direct you to bleach twice a day for 30-minutes a time. The inner part of the strip has a chemical called hydrogen peroxide that causes the stains inside your teeth to be oxidized and turn white. Applying the strips has a small learning curve as you will probably bend or fold a couple of them before you get the technique down.
2. Leave the strips on for the time recommended in the instructions and do not overbleach your teeth, as this can lead to sensitivity. Crest bleaching products will generally work for most people, especially younger people and those with yellow stains.
Potential Disadvantages to Consider
1. Hydrogen Peroxide can "burn" your gums. If you notice a burning sensation when you use the product, it is the chemical oxidizing (or burning) your gums (it will turn them white with a minor chemical burn). Depending on how severe the burning is, it may cause you to want to stop the treatment. It is OK to stop the treatment for a day or two to let the gums heal. Once they are healed, resume treatment with the White Strips. Try to not get the strip too far up on your gums.
2. Your teeth may become senstiive during the treatment time. Try to tolerate the sensitivity if it is mild, but if more severe, take a day or two off to let the teeth settle down and then pick up where you left off. You may notice much more sensitivity to cold water, ice cream, etc. The peroxide causes a revesible inflamation of the inner pulp, or nerve center of the tooth and makes the teeth very sensitive to biting or cold drinks or foods. If your teeth become too sensitive, back off on the strips until the sensitivity is gone before resuming bleaching.
3. The strips only cover your front teeth, so only your front teeth will bleach. You may notice the distinct difference between the back (unbleached) teeth and the front (bleached) teeth. Since most people notice the front 6 teeth anyway, this is not a big deal. However, if you have a wide toothy smile, you may want to have a dentist make you a tray that will hold the chemical on the back teeth to whiten them too.
4. The bleaching effect works best on yellow stains. If your stains are due to tetracycline (brownish grey stains in a band on your teeth, your best bet is to have a dentist whiten your teeth in the office for two sessions and then use White Strips to continue the bleaching process.
Crest White Strips work for the vast majority of people. Younger people with yellow stains seem to respond better than older people or those with gray stains. If you have severely stained teeth, especially those with tetracycline (an antibiotic) stain, the strips may not work well for you.
If you are not satisfied with the results and still want whiter teeth, you can then see your dentist for a more concentrated in-office form of bleaching (called "power bleaching").
Jim "Konedog" Koenig, DDS
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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Only in the USA, November 28, 2007
I used crest white strips for the firs time when on a 6 month stay in the US in 2006. The result for me was unbelievable and I'm so upset that I can't buy them in the UK. I've had so many compliments on my teeth and old photos show just how yellow they were before using crest strips.
Liz
UK
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Crest Whitestrips Supreme Professional Strength, July 3, 2009
Here's the scoop on the stuff. It really, really works and it works fast.
As others have mentioned, it does cause sensitivity, big time. But I found out that if I do it every other day, it is no problem. Everyday and twice a day like the instructions tell you will make you a miserable wretch. Also, if you have the strips on upside down, your gullet and gut will let you know how displeased they are.
First, how it worked on me. After the first day, which I did in two consecutive 30-minute treatments (you can do it that way or else wait a few hours in between treatments), I already noticed the difference. My bottom teeth were, for some reason, yellower than the top--plus the area around my gums were yellower than anything (I am a coffee drinker; I have no diseases or cavities and I don't smoke). When I finished both 30-minute treatments, my top and bottom teeth were the same shade, and my bottom teeth were not bi-colored anymore. When I woke up the next day, they were even a little whiter than before I went to bed. This whitens very quickly and you may not need the whole box -- save some for later touch-ups.
Second, the sensitivity. After I finished my treatment (and after I realized the strips don't work upside down) I had no pain, and was thinking, "HUH. This is much nicer than that stuff in a tray the dentist gave me once." I went to bed right after my treatments... and at about 6:00 a.m. I felt a little sore in the jaw. At 7:00 a.m. it hurt a lot more, so I took 3 Advils and a Tylenol and went back to bed. It improved, but I still felt it some. I decided I was not going to do a treatment that day. The day after that, the pain was gone.
So I finally worked out a plan. For no pain (or very little pain) I could do one 30-minute treatment every other day. If I felt like I could grin and bear it, and had nowhere to go anyway, I did two 30-minute treatments every other day. I never put any strips on while I still felt pain, and it still worked wonderfully even though I didn't do it as frequently as the box directions say to. Doing it this way is still faster than buying the store-bought ones, which work very slowly.
Some things to think about:
1. If you need to get your teeth professionally cleaned, do it at least a week before you plan to use these strips.
2. Brush with a sensitive-teeth toothpaste twice a day for a week before you start treatment, and keep using it until you're finished with the treatments.
3. Do your treatment(s) every other day... or even space them out longer if you need to. You will still get whiter teeth than if you use store-bought concentrations.
4. The part of the strip that goes on your teeth is the smooth side--the side that peels off the plastic. The dry bumpy side does not have the gel.
5. If you have a wide smile, like Julia Roberts or Olivia Newton-John, you can either use more strips at a time and cover those back teeth (they stay on okay--just use your finger to fill in any crevices) OR you can alternate the side of your mouth you put the strips on. For example, Monday you can place the strips so they cover the front and right side of your mouth, and Wednesday you can place the strips so they cover the front and left of your mouth. The front teeth will always be covered, but the back teeth will get covered every other treatment--eventually becoming about as white as the front teeth.
6. Brush and floss 3 hours before your treatment, if you want to brush. DO NOT brush right before your treatment because your teeth and gums will kill!! I have heard of opening the pores of the teeth by brushing first, but it makes it so painful--even if you do it lightly. The rough side of a dry washcloth works well, though, to wipe them down and dry them (the strips stick best on dry teeth, anyhow). Conversely, you can use a Waterpic or Hydrofloss to blast your teeth with water to clean things up without roughing up your teeth and gums (and those things also help to rinse the gel out of your mouth when you finish).
Despite the caveats I listed, I gave it 5 stars (really 4.5) because this whitens better than any other treatment I've ever had--from the dentist or store either one--and the price is right. The strips are easy to use and stay put really well. The peroxide will not bother your innards, so long as you don't put them on upside down. Have some ibuprofen or acetaminophen handy for any pain, and enjoy your new smile.
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