Home Business Do whitening strips really work? Dentists reveal the best products for a whiter, brighter smile – Daily Mail

Do whitening strips really work? Dentists reveal the best products for a whiter, brighter smile – Daily Mail

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Do whitening strips really work? And are they safe? Top cosmetic dentists reveal the best products for a whiter, brighter smile

  • Both Dr Pia Lieb and Dr Jon Marashi recommend Crest Whitestrips for whitening
  • They say the strips are safe but advise brushing and flossing before using them so you won’t have food debris or plaque on the tooth surface 

By Zoe Griffin For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

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If your teeth are stained through drinking too much coffee and soda, you may have found that no amount of brushing is enough to return them to their former color.

Using teeth whitening strips is a more powerful way to lift off the stains but it can be a controversial subject. Many people worry that it can damage tooth enamel and gums, that it’s expensive, or that it could work badly and leave them with stripy teeth.

But Dr Pia Lieb, a top New York cosmetic dentist, points out: ‘We have ADA and FDA standards to answer for efficiency and safety.’

And Dr Jon Marashi, chief cosmetic dentist at Byte, says: ‘Whitening strips are about as low risk as it gets.

Cosmetic dentists Dr Pia Lieb and Dr Jon Marashi recommend Crest Whitestrips for whitening

‘I actually encourage people to use whitening strips if they’ve had bad experiences with professional teeth whitening at a dental office due to sensitivity from the higher concentration of peroxide.’

Whitening strips work due to gel that is spread along the strip and placed onto the surface of your teeth. This substance contains hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide and works to penetrate the tooth enamel to remove stains.

Home whitening kits contain less chemicals than professional tooth whitening services in the dentist surgery, but are still more effective at penetrating the enamel than brushing and flossing alone.

‘I personally recommend Crest Whitestrips,’ adds Dr Lieb. ‘They have perfected the strips in the past 20 years they have been around.’

Priced at $40 for 24 strips, they offer good value for money and promise to remove up to ten years’ of stains in 12 days.

Dr Marashi says that if you have aligners, BrightByte from Byte actually works as a whitener, breath freshener and cleaner 

Dr Marashi is also a fan of Crest Whitestrips. He tells DailyMail.com: ‘They’re inexpensive and the concentration of peroxide is low, so it’s unlikely you will experience any sensitivity. 

‘If people can use strips consistently for the length of time instructed with a good result, that’s great, and if not, it isn’t a huge investment or loss.’

To maximise results, the dentists advise brushing and flossing your teeth before using whitening strips so you won’t have food debris or a layer of plaque on the surface of the tooth, and the peroxide has a better chance of absorbing into the enamel.

It’s also important to read the instructions carefully.

Swapping your regular toothpaste for one containing charcoal, like the activated charcoal toothpaste from Hello, may also leave your teeth brighter and involves zero effort

Dr Lieb explains: ‘There are different strengths of peroxide on different strips , some should be on for 20 min at a time some can stay in for a few hours. It’s also important to listen to your teeth if you feel any sensitivity, take them off and use Sensodyne toothpaste to relieve the pain.’

The strips are a simple and low cost way to test whether teeth whitening works for you and the dentists say you can then upgrade to more powerful and slightly pricier products if you want to see even more results.

‘I personally am a big fan of custom trays and whitening gel by Ultradent,’ adds Dr Lieb. ‘It has low sensitivity because it contains potassium which helps a lot. 

Crest Whitestrips are a simple and low cost way to test whether teeth whitening works for you

‘And they have various strengths from 15 per cent to 40 per cent. If you have dark [teeth] and need stronger you can use 40per cent, if you are sensitive, you can use 15 per cent.’

Swapping your regular toothpaste for one containing charcoal may also leave your teeth brighter and involves zero effort.

Dr Marashi’s shares some top advice, saying: ‘Hello has an activated charcoal toothpaste that does a great job getting external stains like coffee, tea and red wine off of the teeth. 

‘If you have aligners, BrightByte from Byte actually works as a whitener, breath freshener and cleaner for a bit of multitasking!’

With the charcoal toothpaste available for $5.99 and the Byte spray at $30, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to polish up your teeth and smile brighter this summer.

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