TEETH WHITENING: What once cost $1000 now is found on shelves of drug stores and beauty salons
5 May 2007
Go Smile ampoules are an easy way to get whitening on the run, without any trays or gels. (Fashion Wire Daily/Jeannette Park)
By Jeannette Park
If you think celebrities are born with a perfect set of teeth to go with their perfect beauty and body, guess again. Porcelain caps and surgery are taking the place of a good brushing twice a day, and bleaching has become a daily routine. More than 10 million Americans can be counted in the group seeking pearly perfection.
But what once cost nearly $1000 per visit is now found in drugstores and on beauty supply store shelves. Teeth whitening solutions used to be simple brush-on gels that were applied like white out for the teeth, but now involve malleable trays, gel syringes and rinses. The time it takes to get your teeth corn yellow to pearl white depends on a number of factors: the product, the condition of your teeth and time.
This self-professed teeth whitener has tried them all - from paint-on gels that cost a mere $4.99 to laser whitening treatments at a “whitening salon” for nearly $2500, it’s been done. The results? Spending less than five bucks for treatment guarantees absolutely no difference and one misfire of the laser can cause lip burns. To help you shuffle through the numerous versions of a “hope in a box,” here are three kits that will give more wattage to your smile.
Go Smile Advanced Formula B1 Tooth Whitening On the Go
$89 for a 10-day supply, available at gosmile.com
Created by New York dentist Jonathan Levine, the Go Smile ampoules are the niftiest and most convenient whitening product currently available. Housed in tiny cardboard and plastic tubes, you simply uncap one ampoule and squeeze its middle, releasing a clear liquid that contains the bleaching properties. One swipe across your teeth from the sponge-like applicator, and you can just toss and go. And because of its minty flavor, it can also double as a breath freshener after a meal and won’t leave any sort of residue in your mouth. Although the price can be a bit steep, you’re paying for the convenience of the tubes and the company guarantees a whiter smile in just a week.
Supersmile Professional Whitening System
$70 for a three-month supply, available at supersmile.com
A product derived from another celebrity dentist, Irwin Smigel, Supersmile’s system is as simple as brushing your teeth. Two tubes come in the kit; one is the whitening toothpaste, and the other (the accelerator) is the whitening component that actually bleaches the teeth. Just an equal sized dab of each on a dry toothbrush and brush as you normally would. The combination creates a one-two punch: The toothpaste contains an ingredient designed to dissolve the clear, sticky film on teeth to which plaque and stains adhere, and the accelerator gently bleaches and cleans the teeth. Even though the toothpaste contains baking soda, a natural teeth whitener, Supersmile’s product is absent of the chalky taste found in similar pastes. With no trays or solutions to deal with, you won’t have to alter your daily tooth brushing routine, and it works to brighten porcelain veneers and crowns to their original shade. For a super duty clean, use it on an electric toothbrush like Oral-B Triumph Professional Care that cleans teeth, gums and even flosses too!
Crest Whitestrips Daily Multicare
$39.99 for a six-week supply, available at drugstore.com
One of the first entrants in the teeth whitening market, Crest Whitestrips is recognized by its clear-sticker feature that adheres directly onto teeth. Designed to remove surface stains and prevent future buildup, these Whitestrips used to be the handiest method of whitening teeth because you could just stick the strips onto the upper and lower teeth for 30 minutes twice day. Although more convenient methods are now available, Crest Whitestrips are the go-to box for the mass market looking to achieve a celebrity-like smile. Its newest version is designed to use for just five minutes a day, thanks to a precise allocation of peroxide that is safe for daily use. But you pay for what you get: the Crest Whitestrips do not whiten crowns or caps, and because of the direct contact of peroxide to the gums and lips, it can cause slight discomfort and sensitivity to those areas. Still, it’s a great and economical way to get white teeth that last.
Fashion Wire Daily
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