at-home teeth whitening?

i have used crest whitestrips two times in the past so i can't tell you about the others. but i'm sticking with them in the future because for the price, they worked really well in under a week.

totally worth it imo

^yup, Crest Whitestrips are the most effective kits out there that you can buy over the counter.

I've used Crest White Strips before (2 times actually) and I wasn't impressed at all. I saw a very minimal difference in the whiteness of my teeth. I didn't have yellow teeth, but I'm a big coffee drinker so there was definitely improvement to be made.

After that didn't work out, I went to my dentist and asked him what I could do. He made me custom molds for my teeth (I paid $150, maybe more; I can't remember exactly), and I bought the bleaching gel from from him as well for $60. I just had to put some gel in the trays and wear them for about 30-45 minutes a day for 2 weeks. (Because of tooth sensitivity I was experiencing, my doctor later instructed my to switch that to every other day.)

It works AMAZING! The first time I bleached and took the trays out, I was literally shocked! My teeth were sooooooo white after only one use! Such a huge difference, and I didn't even think my teeth were bad before!

Anyway, I later found a website that sells the same EXACT whitening gels I was buying from my dentist for much, much cheaper. For the past 2 years, I've been ordering it from there instead. Now I just whiten every once in a while for maintenance when I need it.

My friend then decided that she wanted to whiten her teeth as well, but didn't want to pay for custom molds from her dentist, so she ordered the "Boil & Bite" kit that they offer. Basically, it's cheaper molds that you make yourself. (Put them in boiling water for about 5 seconds, put them in your mouth and bite down to mold them to your teeth. Then they're ready to be used!) She had amazing results with these.....the only thing is that she had to do was trim the molds down with a scissor so that the molds weren't covering any parts of her gums.

Wow, this turned into a reeeeaally long post.

You can get all of this stuff I'm talking about at Dental Care | Dental Health | Dentistry products at Dentist.net

You can get the Boil & Bite kit here from $30-$39 (depending on the strength of the peroxide purchased):
BOIL and BITE BLEACHING TRAYS | Whitening Trays for use with Bleaching Gel by Dentist.net

They also have the custom molds available, just like the ones I got in my dentists office for $79:
PROFESSIONAL WHITENING TRAYS | Bleaching Kits | Nite White, Day White, Opalescence, Zoom, Generic

Hope that helps! You will really be amazed at how well this works!

Hm...if you already have a retainer, can you just put the whitening stuff in there...?

Is that cheating?

And what % do you think we should use?

I'm not sure what you mean by a retainer? What does it look like?

According to the website, the 10%, 15%, and 16% can be used for 2-4 hours a day OR overnight if there's no sensitivity. The 20%-22% can be used for 30 minutes to an hour a day.

I use the 22% because it takes 30 minutes, and I can't imagine trying to sleep with the trays in my mouth. And like I said in my original post, I use it every other day because of tooth sensitivity.

ive used the colgate one from the dentist [these made me drool haha], whitening strips and paint on and they were all useless. one day i will get zoom/laser.

i have tried the following:

-professional whitening kit (from dentist): worked the best. In two weeks I had amazingly white teeth. I will be doing this again in the next few months
-the paint-on whitening formula (forget the brand): no results
-crest whitestrips (premium line): horrible; made my teeth terribly sensitive and saw little-to-no results. I got my money back from them though, thankfully.

I would highly recommend getting the kits from the dentist. Best (and longest lasting) results I have seen. It's not TOO expensive - just don't buy one bag or a few pairs of jeans and get the whitening done instead (much more worthwhile and longer-lasting IMO)

Laurie, that's exactly what I used to do until I started buying the bleaching gel from dentist.net. It's so much cheaper for me than buying from the dentist.

hmmm... i need new trays too. how are the trays from dentist.net?

I am very anal about teeth in general (braces 2x, infinite amount of retainers and other contraptions, etcs) and I am dying to get my teeth redone.

I got my trays from the dentist, and just purchase the bleaching gel from the website.

The CREST PREMIUM work amazing! The only think is they make your teeth super sensitive...I find any other in store brands dont work.

The dentist is way too over priced...was never an option for me.

i agree that the paint on the stuff is useless. i think you just end up accidently eating it all hehe. or it doesn't stay on correctly. i use crest white strips, i always have and i think it seems to work for me.

Vying for the Julia Roberts smile, are we?
I demand an avatar with teeth in it.
Yours, preferably, that is.

ha... here ya go. (these are coming down soon, so be quick)

Aw, you do have a pretty smile!

I saw them too Lauire......you're too cute and have a great smile!

Thanks for allllllll the great info nat! I've had braces and have worn retainers and since then my teeth have moved and made me very unhappy! Also, my teeth aren't yellow by any means, but I am obsessed with getting them white lol! I'll try those options!! YAY!

Agreed^^!!! Nat, Big thanks! I gave you a +1.

Lauren, I gave you a -1 for taking down your pictures. You are a BEAUTIFUL girl, I can only imagine that your beauty is greater with a big smile!!

I also agree that the dentist (and new the cheaper way from Nat) is the most effective way to go. BUT I also love crest whitestrips! Especially fora little freshener. I'm a huge coffee drinker. And as you can see, my smile (and teeth) are even bigger.

I have tried all the over the counter stuff and I found that crest white strips premium work really well, but they did make me teeth really sensitive! Just don't leave them in too long and the sensitivity should go away by the following day. When I used them people actually said my teeth looked white (even though I used to smoke and drink coffee!)

I use the Rembrandt whitening box. I don't have yellow teeth though, this just brightens them up. It makes my teeth hurt though. I only use it for like 3 days and it's enough. Nat's suggestions seem like a great idea.

aw, thanks tom, nat, and even you miss jenn.i restored my 5 year-old pic but it's not staying up.

ps nat: i got the stuff from dentist.net. I ordered it Thursday nite and it arrived yesterday (coming from CA to PA - incredibly quick delivery!) I am excited now

LOVE the picture pretty girl.
But it does make me feel OLD.

like REALLY OLD

Yay.....I always get my stuff super fast too! Glad I could help!