The main reason I picked these Crest Advanced Seal Whitening Strips, isn't that I want my teeth more pearly. (Granted my teeth are a bit stained after 2 years of Gatorade/Coffee/Tea/Dr. Pepper abuse.) According to my dentist, my teeth are actually naturally white so I don't really need much beside the routine cleaning. If I really mind the fact that they are yellow, I wouldn't post pictures of lip gloss galore showing them in the first place.
The turning point of this decision was that a while ago I realized that how much money I have flushed down toilet from drink all those crap (I had a bottle of either Gatorade, green tea or Dr. Pepper almost every single day, drinking them as if they are water.) And since all those actually have no nutritional values whatsoever plus the daily costs do add up, I realized it was time to stop this kind of unnecessary expense.
Being a cheap person, I know if I spend a hefty price on an expensive set of teeth whitening set, I will feel guilty staining them again afterward with all those carbonated drink. (In the long run, a 30 something dollars spent unwillingly now will result hundreds of dollars saved in the future.
Each set of the Crest Advanced Seal Whitening Strips has a retail price ranges from $35- $45 depends on where you buy it. From my experience, the cheapest way to get it is to first go online and sign up for a Proctor and Gamble Sampler and request this item. After 2 months (Come on, your teeth can wait) they will send you a day supply of this strip as well as a $7 off coupon specifically for this Crest Advanced Seal Strip. Then the second step is to wait for CVS to have that kind of weekly sale where the price of this is lowered to 35 bucks from 45 (they have it on all the time)...Combined with a 4 dollars off $20 dollars purchase (again, CVS spam my mailbox with those all the time) ... This thing will go as cheap as 24 dollars plus tax.
This might sound a bit complicated but when it comes to stuff that are not necessary in life, I only get them when they are on sale. (If you don't want to sign up and wait 2 months for the coupons I am sure there are other ways, try Google and you will be amazed how many random stuff if will yield.)
Anyway, there are 14 pouches of whitening strips in a box and you are supposed to use one pouch a day for 30 minutes. The strips are infused with peroxide gel and are quite adhesive (like duck tape on hairy legs that kind of adhesive.) While they definitely stick to my teeth nice enough, there is still some bit of gel leaking out.
At the time of removal, there are many sticky particles stuck to my teeth so I have to brush it off at the end.
As of the whitening effect, it does remove some plague at first try but I personally can't see any dramatic result beside the dramatic sore pain it induced: I use the thing for 30 minutes and it will hurt my gum for 24 hours afterward and it feels so bad that my head and my stomach both feel like eating but my teeth and gum would go "No ! No ! No" as they couldn't even stand cold water. I don't know about you but being hungry and not able to eat at the same time is simply unbearable for me.
Anyway, I kept using it for 5 days and saw no result what so ever, my teeth are still as yellow (or white depends on your frame of reference) as before. (it got rid of a bit plague on the first day and make my gum hurt for several days...that was it.)
I just returned it since I get better/less painful cleaning at my dentist anyway, not to mention for something that doesn't work, 20 something dollars is quite expensive. On the back of the box it said it only works on natural human teeth but not on artificial veneer. So I guess I am alien mutant?
The turning point of this decision was that a while ago I realized that how much money I have flushed down toilet from drink all those crap (I had a bottle of either Gatorade, green tea or Dr. Pepper almost every single day, drinking them as if they are water.) And since all those actually have no nutritional values whatsoever plus the daily costs do add up, I realized it was time to stop this kind of unnecessary expense.
Being a cheap person, I know if I spend a hefty price on an expensive set of teeth whitening set, I will feel guilty staining them again afterward with all those carbonated drink. (In the long run, a 30 something dollars spent unwillingly now will result hundreds of dollars saved in the future.
Each set of the Crest Advanced Seal Whitening Strips has a retail price ranges from $35- $45 depends on where you buy it. From my experience, the cheapest way to get it is to first go online and sign up for a Proctor and Gamble Sampler and request this item. After 2 months (Come on, your teeth can wait) they will send you a day supply of this strip as well as a $7 off coupon specifically for this Crest Advanced Seal Strip. Then the second step is to wait for CVS to have that kind of weekly sale where the price of this is lowered to 35 bucks from 45 (they have it on all the time)...Combined with a 4 dollars off $20 dollars purchase (again, CVS spam my mailbox with those all the time) ... This thing will go as cheap as 24 dollars plus tax.This might sound a bit complicated but when it comes to stuff that are not necessary in life, I only get them when they are on sale. (If you don't want to sign up and wait 2 months for the coupons I am sure there are other ways, try Google and you will be amazed how many random stuff if will yield.)
Anyway, there are 14 pouches of whitening strips in a box and you are supposed to use one pouch a day for 30 minutes. The strips are infused with peroxide gel and are quite adhesive (like duck tape on hairy legs that kind of adhesive.) While they definitely stick to my teeth nice enough, there is still some bit of gel leaking out.At the time of removal, there are many sticky particles stuck to my teeth so I have to brush it off at the end.
As of the whitening effect, it does remove some plague at first try but I personally can't see any dramatic result beside the dramatic sore pain it induced: I use the thing for 30 minutes and it will hurt my gum for 24 hours afterward and it feels so bad that my head and my stomach both feel like eating but my teeth and gum would go "No ! No ! No" as they couldn't even stand cold water. I don't know about you but being hungry and not able to eat at the same time is simply unbearable for me.Anyway, I kept using it for 5 days and saw no result what so ever, my teeth are still as yellow (or white depends on your frame of reference) as before. (it got rid of a bit plague on the first day and make my gum hurt for several days...that was it.)
I just returned it since I get better/less painful cleaning at my dentist anyway, not to mention for something that doesn't work, 20 something dollars is quite expensive. On the back of the box it said it only works on natural human teeth but not on artificial veneer. So I guess I am alien mutant?
i'm always tempted to buy some whitening strips,
ReplyDeletebut the stories of sensitivity and pain hinder me..
lol after reading this, i'm not so tempted anymore.
btw, whitening strips aren't even recommended by my dentist..
he told me to just brush with baking soda or rinse with hydrogen peroxide, cause the strips literally strip off enamel.
Hi Jen:
ReplyDeleteI really doubt those work actually or all the dentist wouldn't be such a high paying job...
Rinsing with hydrogen peroxide?! wouldn't that be as corrosive at stomach acid? (The whitening strip's main ingredient is indeed H2O2...) Maybe a diluted version would be better but I think I will just quit those junk drink for the heck of my teeth...(At least to maintain the current color, which my dentist say is already above-average-white.)