Holy Grail Teeth Whitening
Hi everyone! I’m excited to bring to you my first blog post. I will be telling you about how I got my teeth white and what I have been doing to maintain them afterwards. I guess we should start this story from the beginning...In elementary school and growing up, I always had really white teeth. Unfortunately, the two years I had braces in high school changed that for the worst. I began trying everything to get my teeth back to the bright white that they used to be. However, with the older I became I also began to develop my lovely coffee addiction. While I’m not ashamed of that one bit and will probably never give it up (because coffee is seriously so delicious), it really adds to the challenge of achieving white teeth.
I resorted back to testing DIY home techniques to try to whiten my teeth. Those weren’t giving me the results I wanted, so I decided to try the Plus White 5 Minute Premier Whitening System and was blown away. My teeth were just as white as they were with the Crest 3D Whitestrips, but I had zero sensitivity, it was quick, it didn’t taste too bad, and it was cheap! The whole kit is $7.97 at Walmart and if you just want the gel, it’s $4.78.
I tried using the pens that you paint on, but that was only temporary and would come off as soon as I ate or drank anything. I also noticed it left a disgusting taste and film over my teeth, which I could not get over. I tried Crest 3D White toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash. I actually really enjoyed the toothpaste and the mouthwash and I do still recommend them, but who was I trying to fool with the floss? How much whitening effect can a string of floss realllyyy have?? But since I had some positive experiences with those two products, I decided to give the ever-so-popular and expensive Crest 3D Whitestrips a chance. I used the 2-hour express ones and while they did make my teeth very white, I couldn’t eat or drink anything above or below room temperature for a week (no exaggerations). I never thought of myself as having easily sensitive teeth, but those were something else. I know they say beauty is pain, but that just wasn’t worth it. I like eating food too much to deal with that.
The kit itself includes the whitening gel (2 oz. tube), the StainGuard rinse (4 oz. bottle), and the tray. I wouldn’t recommend following the exact instructions on the packaging. It says to use the product for 15-20 minutes twice a day for two weeks. I think that’s overkill, even if you have really stained teeth. When I first started with this product, I used it for the recommended amount of time but only once a day for a week. By that point I had reached my desired whiteness level. Now, I use it 20 minutes twice a week for maintenance. The only time this product has ever irritated me was when I accidentally got the gel on my gums...that’s not where it’s supposed to go, of course! The side of the packaging makes the gel look white, but you can see here that it’s actually a clear gel:
I recommend buying the entire kit once and then just the gel every time after that. I’m not a big fan of the rinse because I don’t think it does anything extra and I also don’t need a million trays everywhere. Another option is to only buy the gel plus two athletic mouthguards for .99 at Walmart, and mold them to your teeth yourself. I tried that route, but preferred the one that came in the kit instead. It doesn’t have the best fit and it’s a little bulky, but it’s not as tight as the athletic mouthguards. Obviously you want to be alone when doing this because there is no way talking is going to happen with the tray in the way. If you want to multitask, use it right before getting in the shower and then time will be up before you know it! I suggest running a toothbrush over your teeth after rinsing to make sure all the gel is completely out. And as with almost any dental care, make sure not to eat or drink for at least 30 minutes after treatment.
I used to be able to find this at Target and Walgreens, but lately the only place I have been able to find it is at Walmart. I seriously swear by this stuff. In the three plus years that I’ve been using it, I’ve probably repurchased it at least six times. One thing to note, though, is that the gel STARTS working in five minutes. So, for example, if you leave it on for 20 minutes it’s really only actually whitening for 15 minutes. A little confusing advertisement, I know, but super white teeth in five minutes is definitely too good to be true. Finally, here are my results:
I hope you enjoyed this post! If you found it helpful or have any questions, please don't hesitate to comment. I would love to hear your feedback if you have tried this product too! Have an absolutely wonderful day!
