Whitening Strips and Whitening Toothpaste Cost
Whitening Strips
Coated with a whitening gel, these thin, flexible membranes are designed to conform to the shape of the teeth. They are very convenient and easy to use – no mixing or molding is required. What’s more, they are unobtrusive enough to be worn on the job or while commuting or shopping.
However, whitening strips are less effective than trays for removing between-the-teeth stains and are not suitable for crooked teeth. In addition, saliva can more easily find its way beneath whitening strips, diluting their potency. Some whitening strips aren’t long enough to cover a wide smile, and they tend to slip and slide.
Crest Whitestrips Supreme, containing 14 percent hydrogen peroxide – the highest dose currently available in whitening strips – are dispensed at dentists’ offices. These strips are wide enough to cover up to six teeth.
Approximate cost for a box of 84 strips (three-week supply): $44.98. Over-the-counter whitening strips cost in the $19.98 to $44.99 range.
Brush-On Whiteners
Pens with brush-on or foam-tip applicators provide what has been billed as fuss-free instant whitening. Used directly after meals or in daily regimens, as alternatives to whitening trays and strips, these whiteners are often considered instant “antidotes” to new stains from food, especially just-consumed red wine.
But dental professionals are divided as to the effectiveness of paint-on whiteners. Some consider them useful adjuncts to in-office or tray bleaching. Others have yet to see any meaningful results with these whiteners.
Cost: $12.99 to $99.95
Whitening Toothpaste
Technically speaking, all toothpastes are whitening toothpastes, since they remove surface plaque and debris. But only a few contain key whitening ingredients: chemical bleaching agents and abrasives in high concentrations.
When used regularly, these toothpastes may offer backup support for tooth whitening. Of course, given that brushing time is limited to a minute or two, that support is minimal. But since we all brush every day, some consider whitening toothpastes to be potential whitening enhancers.
Toothpastes with Peroxide
Because toothpaste foams all over the mouth and is swallowed, the percentage of any bleach it contains is low, to avoid irritation.
Toothpastes with Abrasives
Most toothpastes clean the teeth with finely ground abrasives such as silica, aluminum oxide, calcium carbonate and baking soda. Whitening toothpastes contain more of these abrasives – though the paradox here is that overuse can cause more stains and can also dull the surface of dental crowns and veneers.
Whitening Floss
Floss may seem like an unlikely part of the tooth-whitening regimen, particularly as it is in contact with the teeth for only a second or two. But over the long haul, using whitening floss daily may assist with stain removal in the narrow space between the teeth, an area that even in-office bleaching has a hard time reaching.
Whitening floss differs from standard dental floss in its use of mild abrasives, typically silica.
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Tags: hydrogen peroxide, stains, toothpastes, whitening gel, whitening strips, whitening toothpaste
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