Tips from an Expert: Teeth Whitening

Don’t let this year’s face coverings prevent you from taking care of your pearly whites. Your smile is the most personalized, unique trait, so it should be glistening, sparkling, beaming – just like you! I view this time behind a mask as an opportunity to repair, refresh, and rejuvenate those pearly whites, so you’re ready to flash your smile for days when masks are a thing of the past (…whenever that day comes).

A sweet friend reached out to me recently asking if I ever had my teeth whitened. I was flattered, of course, but so excited to share with her all the affordable products I’ve used to keep my smile white! It honestly does not come naturally given all the coffee and wine! You can certainly achieve satisfying results without forking over hundreds (to thousands!) of dollars for professional services.

Along with a few of my personal favorite teeth-whitening tips, I’ll also be sharing with you some tips from an expert! I took this question to my long time best friend, Erin, now a Registered Dental Hygienist! Who better to ask about teeth whitening and oral health than a Dental Hygienist herself! Thank you, Erin, for providing some content and useful tips for this post.

Let’s dive in!

1. Look to Costco and Amazon for package deals on Crest Whitestrips. Taylor and I both use Crest Whitestrips to maintain a bright, white smile, and we were stoked to find a 2-pack at Costco! Cutting our price in almost half. We’re not at Costco often, so Amazon is our other go-to spot to purchase Crest Whitestrips for an affordable price. Click on any photo in this blog post to take to you to direct shopping links.
2. Save your poor teeth the nerve pain, and use strips no more often than every other day. You’ll find on the back of the box instructions to use them for 30 minutes daily, with a 1 month supply of strips. My first straight month of using whitening strips, my teeth were so so sore! Tay and I have found that by giving a 1-2 day break in between whitening sessions, we can better tolerate the mild nerve discomfort that comes with teeth whitening.
3. Plan your whitening routine around an event. Are you getting married? Going on a vacation? Taking holiday card photos? If you’re whitening your teeth for a specific event, try to start the whitening process 2 months before that event. Use a 1 month supply of strips, but use them every other day! Then add in 1 or 2 of the Hour Express strips for the day before and the day of your event (the only time I’d recommend whitening 2 days in a row).
4. Use an electric toothbrush. I’ve linked the electric toothbrush Tay and I use, Goby. Click on any photo in this post to take you there! We have a brush head subscription that sends us new heads every 3 months. An electric toothbrush, as opposed to a traditional manual brush, is nicer to your gums, and more effective in brushing off teeth-yellowing plaque.
5. Use a whitening mouthwash. After brushing and flossing, Tay and I both use the Crest 3D White Mouthwash. We make our bed while we’re swishing around the mouthwash! Hello multitasking. About a minutes worth of time. I love that its alcohol free so it doesn’t burn, but still has a fair amount of hydrogen peroxide to whiten subtly.

Listerine Flosser | Crest 3D Glamorous White Strips | Goby Electric Toothbrush Kit | Floss Threaders for Permanent Retainers | Vivid Plus Crest 3D White Strips | Crest 3D Glamorous White Mouthwash

Tips from an Expert: Erin Wiley, RDH

Erin Wiley, a Registered Dental Hygienist, is passionate about all things teeth. She just recently finished a rigorous program, and is now in the workforce sharing her expertise with adult and pediatric patients in the San Diego area. I reached out to Erin and posed this question:

If you could share 4 pearls of wisdom with your patients about teeth whitening and overall oral health, what would you tell them?

“Continue to use Crest whitestrips as maintenance. If sensitivity occurs, use a toothpaste that treats sensitivity.”

“Optimum effects from whitening products can be achieved by avoiding coffee, tea, wine, and berries in your daily diet.”

“If you are a coffee drinker, swish with water afterwards, and drink water to help with any staining.”

“Keep up with regular dental visits, and if Crest whitestrips aren’t working for your situation, ask your office about whitening options that are stronger then OTC ones.”

Thank you, Erin, for your input and pearls of wisdom! Readers, what are some of your teeth whitening tips and tricks? Share in the comments, and join the New Cotton Blend community on Instagram and LIKEtoKNOW.it by following Natalie Cotton Wilson.