The Best Products for Whitening Your Teeth
Everyone wants a brighter, whiter smile. It is the outward sign of good oral hygiene, and when you have a beautiful smile, you smile more. Studies show that when you smile more, you feel better! So, it’s only natural that people want to know more about how to get a whiter smile, and of course, we want to know how to do so safely.
Whitening is a big industry, and it also brings about many questions:
“Does the bleaching product I’m using really work?”
“What are the best products I can use to whiten my teeth?”
“How do I get my teeth as white as yours?”
As a dental hygienist, I love the last one because I feel it is the ultimate compliment, and I always want to help people achieve their dream smile!
So, here I am to give you some answers.
“Does the bleaching product I’m using really work?”
The most important thing you want to remember about whitening is that all products that say they “whiten” your teeth typically work by removing surface stains. Most whitening toothpastes have an abrasive agent in them that will help remove surface staining caused by coffee, tea, or red wine—up to 25%.
Removing stain will make your smile appear whiter if you have staining. However, if you have minimal staining or none at all, the only way to get that smile brighter is to actually lighten the tooth enamel itself. That is where bleaching comes in.
For a product to lighten your tooth, it needs to have carbamide or hydrogen peroxide listed as an ingredient. So, if the product you are using states they are tooth whitening or bleaching—but don’t have carbamide or hydrogen peroxide—there is no guarantee they will lighten the enamel.
“What are the best products I can use to whiten my teeth?”
I’ve tried it all, and for over 14 years I have worked with patients who wanted to whiten their teeth. Here are some great options that I have experience with:
Crest 3D White Mouthwash
The easiest option is Crest 3D White Mouthwash. When used consistently and correctly you will see great results. I recommend you use this product before you drink your morning coffee. The mouthwash contains glycerin which helps prevent tooth stain from attaching to the tooth surface from the start. It does contain a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide. If you use Crest 3D White both morning and night, you will lighten your tooth color by one shade of white. Don’t believe me? Try it.
Opalescence Go
Fast, easy, and less expensive than prescription whitening products, Opalescence Go disposable bleach trays are a great option. They can be purchased online or at your dental office. You will love the ease of these trays as they are a one time use with no mess. They give you an almost custom look for less than half the price. Within 15-20 minutes your teeth will look a shade or two lighter. When used more frequently you will see even better results.
Custom Bleach Trays
For the best results, look into custom trays and prescription-strength bleaching agents. They deliver the fastest results and offer the most custom application.
These trays have to be made at your dental office. Typically you will need to make an examination appointment first, to ensure your teeth are healthy before making custom trays. Your appointment for custom trays will be 15-20 minutes long, and consist of taking impressions or using a camera to scan your teeth. Your trays will be custom made by a lab to fit your unique smile.
At your next appointment, you will receive your custom trays along with bleaching product consisting of 14-16% carbamide or hydrogen peroxide. This prescription-strength bleaching agent is one of the reasons this option is so effective.
Your dentist or hygienist will often use a shade guide for assessing the starting shade of your teeth. This way they can track the progress you are making with the bleaching. They will give you instructions and send you on your way to start the bleaching process. Typically, after 6-9 sessions of bleaching, they will reassess your results.
Lumineux
Lumineux is a newer product on the market, and I see a lot of people talking about it on Instagram. As a dental hygienist, I like to know what products are out there and if they do what they say they will do. Lumineux graciously sent me some free products to try.
What makes this an ideal choice for some people is that Lumineux uses all-natural ingredients. Those ingredients include sage oil, coconut oil, and lemon peel oil to whiten the teeth. I was skeptical, so I had to try it myself. It does work. It does lighten the teeth, but it can also expose white spots on the teeth initially after use (it did with me). Within 24-48 hours the white spots on my teeth were gone. I was so impressed with their whitening product line, I am thinking about signing up for their ambassador program.
The Lumineux whitening product line consists of toothpaste, mouth rinse, and whitening strips. If you are looking for a natural option, and want to try something that will whiten your teeth, give Lumineux a try.
“Will whitening hurt my teeth?”
Whitening is VERY safe. However, I am obligated to tell you that prescription-strength products should be used under the care of a dentist.
There can be some transient discomfort or sensitivity when you bleach your teeth depending on the bleaching product quality, pH, and concentration of bleach. Sensitivity is generally related to the peroxide concentration of the material and the amount of time it sits on your teeth. Hypersensitivity is due as a result of the passage of the peroxide through intact enamel and dentin to the pulp during bleaching. However, there has been no reported long-term adverse pulp/nerve damage when proper techniques are employed. Meaning if you read the instructions, or follow what is recommended by your dentist or hygienist, things should go well.
Pro-Tip: One way to avoid some of this sensitivity is by using a sensitive toothpaste, like Crest Sensitive, a week before bleaching. This can help reduce hypersensitivity due to whitening. The other option is using the sensitive toothpaste as a topical treatment by using your finger to place it around the tooth surfaces and letting it sit in on the teeth, with no rinsing, overnight.
“How do I get my teeth as white as yours?”
I’ve tried all of the above options and each one does work. The one I always go back to is my custom bleach trays made at my dental office. The whitening is custom to my teeth, so I get a precise whitening treatment each time I use the trays. There is no substitute for the effectiveness of a custom tray combined with professional bleaching agents.
Runner up for me is Luminuex because it is all-natural, and eliminates hypersensitivity which can be caused by the bleaching agents carbamide and hydrogen peroxide.
If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to leave those in the comments. I would love to help you figure out what type of whitening product is the best for YOU!