I haven’t been able to afford the at-home whitening my dentist does I just saw a whitening kit at a store which is a LOT cheaper. It’s called Luster Premium Home Whitening. Do you know if this works? It has positive reviews.
Shelly
Dear Shelly,
I’m glad you wrote. Periodically, I will get asked to look into a product by a patient. Sometimes, as with Crest Whitestrips, I can say, “This will work will limitations. Go for it.”. Unfortunately, Luster Premium Home Whitening isn’t one of them. Aside from the “blue light” doing nothing, it actually doesn’t whiten your teeth in reality. Their main “whitening” ingredient is actually zinc oxide. This colors your teeth to make them appear whiter, however, it does wear off. My guess for the positive reviews is people wrote their reviews while their teeth appeared whiter.
If you are looking for a cheap way to whiten your teeth, Crest Whitestrips actually do work. They have three specific limitations that you need to be aware of:
- They will only whiten the front six teeth. Most people have a smile that is 8-10 teeth wide. If that is you, it means wearing two strips to get all the visible teeth covered.
- They are not going to be as strong as professional teeth whitening. While they do work and will whiten your teeth, it will take longer. By law, they can’t make them as powerful as those under the care of a professional dentist. This is to protect you.
- They may not cover all the tooth. When your dentist provides your teeth whitening, he will make custom-fitted trays, like the ones pictured above. The younger you are, the longer your teeth, if your teeth still have some length to them, it will mean only part of your teeth can get whitened.
One thing you can do if you want professional results is talk to your dentist about the cost restrictions you are facing. It may be that he will let you pay it out in increments. With the number of store-bought whitening kits, you would have to purchase it would end up costing about the same, with more complete results.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.