One of our preferred whitening brands at Desert Sun Smiles.
If you’re looking in the mirror and feel dissatisfied with the color of your teeth, you may also find that there are too many confusing options for turning them into genuine pearly whites. The market is flush with attractive and easy products such as Crest 3D White Whitestrips, whitening toothpastes, brightening mouthwash, and more. You may even consider that trip to the dental office for a professional whitening or a more advanced version of the “Whitestrips” phenomenon. But what method to whitening teeth is truly the most effective when considering time, cost, and end result?
1. Let’s Start With The Basics
Before you shell out the big bucks or devote hours in the dental chair, consider these facts that may be contributing to dull or yellow teeth:
- Did you know fruits and vegetables can stain your teeth? Not many people do, but according to Webmd, even apples and potatoes can be contributing to a lackluster smile.
- Coffee, coffee, coffee. Are you a caffeine addict? A Starbucks connoisseur? Consistent espresso consumption may be gradually discoloring your teeth.
- Lighting up that cigarette is a sure fire way to turn your teeth into a dentist’s worst nightmare. Plus, it can cause massive oral health issues, cancer, and a smile worthy of a 16th century monarch or a caveman.
- The dermatologist! Using antibiotics such as tetracycline or doxycycline for clearing up acne? Teeth looking more and more like you smoke two packs of cigarettes a day and single handedly keep your local coffee shop in business? This medication may be the culprit.
- Be honest with yourself. If you’re not brushing twice a day and flossing regularly than your solution may be as simple as upping your daily dental game.
2. Are The Famed Crest Whitestrips Effective?
The short answer is: Yes and no. Yes, they will whiten your teeth, but the trays will only make a difference in the incisor (front) teeth. What this means is that if your smile happens to be larger than life (or at least wide enough that it exposes more than these common front teeth), then you may be left with an only partially brighter smile.
3. Bringing Out The Big Guns
If you’re interested in the quickest way to achieve Fabio or Jennifer Aniston level whiteness, a trip to the dental office for in office professional whitening might be very appealing. There are pros and cons to this approach.
Pro: The dentist can use a professional whitening formula and decide using a shade matching method where your teeth are currently and what color you would ideally like to reach. For busy professionals this method can generate the same results in one hour as one month of at home approaches.
Con: This option costs more than over the counter methods, requires a dental visit of 90 minutes, and can cause sensitivity for those with overly sensitive teeth. If you continue habits such as excessive coffee consumption, smoking, and/or don’t brush or floss effectively, you may need to repeat whitening every 6-12 months.
4. The Best At Home Approach
Don’t let yellow or discolored teeth prevent your from making a good first impression or feeling confident on a blind date. The best approach that combines the comfort of Whitestrips with the effectiveness of the dental office is to set up an appointment with your dentist to make personalized whitening trays. The dentist will make these trays by creating molds of your teeth and will provide whitening gel and instructions for their use. Then, achieving a white smile is simply a matter of wearing the trays while doing chores around the house or watching Netflix.