I am obsessed with the appearance of teeth. And the whiter, the better.
I have gone to the doctor for a whitening treatment in the past. I was given trays to wear over night, but my gums were too sensitive for them. So, when all of the over the counter treatments came out, I was thrilled. I tried the brush-on gels, yuck - the gel never stayed where it was supposed to. And the whitening strips, I just didn't like them all together. The white strips were too much of a project for me, and the results were not that even, in my opinion.
So without wanting to spend a big chunk of change to get my pearly brights all white and shiny in an hour with a service like BriteSmile, I opted for a few more well known brands to try.
First, I used a whitening kit from Rembrandt called the Professional Treatment Kit ($29.99). This kit comes with a tray, called the ComfyTray, that you run under very hot water to soften up, then bite into in order to get some what of a custom fit. These trays are very similar to the sports mouth guards, except these are lighter and more flexible. Along with the custom fit trays in the kit, there are 4 pre-filled whitening gel syringes. You simply open the syringe, and place a very small ribbon like amount of gel to both the upper and lower tray, insert, sit back and relax with it in your mouth for 30 minutes. Rembrandt recommends to do this twice a day, for up to seven days until you see your total results. This kit was easy to use, and I liked the results. The taste was pleasant, not too peroxide like at all. I only used up two of the syringes and used it once or twice a day for a week.
Next, I tried these brand new Aquafresh White Trays ($36.99). This box comes with 14 trays already pre-filled with a special whitening gel. There are seven trays for the upper teeth, and seven trays for the lower teeth. To use these trays, you simply open the container, and insert the tray with the gel already in it over your teeth. You then need to sort of smoosh the gel up and over the front of the teeth as it warms and sort of melts in the tray. The trays are made from a very rigid plastic. After I used my first one, I learned to sort of bend it a bit before I put in in my mouth to make it feel a bit more flexible. These offer an ease of use that can't be beat, as long as you take a few extra seconds to soften up the gel over your teeth as it softens up, like I said. Simply inserting them in your mouth doesn't give in an result.
Both of these at home treatments are so much more affordable than a dental visit or BriteSmile treatment, and the results are just as great, you just have to practice patience with them. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either of these kits, as I plan on using them again and again when I need a touch up every six months or so.
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