Crest whitening strips

So how does one acquire said whitening strips in the UK if they are banned?

Unless one was bringing them back oneself from the US, I wouldn't trust any EU seller.
As I've said earlier, we have seen people with significant damage, permanent damage to their teeth from using products bought online, and from 'bleaching salons'. Not easily repairable damage either.
 
iMO I'd go to the dentist and a mouth tray made it's not expensive. Then I use these recommend to me by a friend who's a hygienist
http://bleachrefills.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=42
She swears by it and it's made an amazing improvment! As I was exposed to a Anti biotic that damanged and stained my teeth pretty bad!
Tetracycline that's the Anti biotic..

I think this may well be an illegal sale.
I haven't used that type, nor heard of them (which isn't saying much) the carbamide peroxide is at a good strength for effective treatment, but I've no idea what else they've in there.
Either way custom made trays are the way forward.
I find it of some concern that the website advertises 4 and 8 packs of bleach, while showing a ten pack picture.
 
I'd be so dubious about buying them online if you can only get them from places like Ebay (even if they are 'top sellers' or whatever) :\. How does a course of Crest Whitening Strips compare to what a dentist would provide - eg. I just looked on the website of my father's dentist and they have,

"Teeth Whitening/Bleaching £165
Opalescence Teeth Whitening/Bleaching £195"

Would one treatment like that be similar to a pack of whitening strips? I'm wondering how they compare in terms of effectiveness.

The second course you've described, if the carbamide version of opalescence, in custom trays, worn each evening for ten days or so, should prove to be a very effective way of whitening ones teeth. Prices seem reasonable.
 
Buying potentially dodgy stuff off Ebay seems crazy :\. I would not be buying something which could easily be a knockoff made in China and using it to treat my body... and especially my mouth :eek:. It's not as though dentists charge crazy money here...



http://www.plymouthdentalclinic.co.uk/teeth-whitening.htm

They say it takes an hour and is done. I realise their website is awful, but I just Googled teeth whitening Plymouth out of interest, and that was one of the few that came up... pretty sure it's the one my father goes to, but that doesn't mean it isn't an awful place, given he only cares about how cheap somewhere is :D.

Website is rather confusing.

Home Kits

This process is self administered - its main ingredient is carbamide peroxide which decomposes into hydrogen peroxide, the active ingredient in all teeth whitening products. The usual strength of carbamide peroxide a home bleaching kit is 20% and the decomposition rate is a third. Therefore, a 20% carbamide peroxide home bleaching kit will release only about 7% of hydrogen peroxide.

A bleaching tray must be worn for several hours per day (or overnight), for some weeks, for the effects of the teeth whitening process to take place. Many Home Bleaching Kits sold by other dentists cost more than our Rapid One Hour ‘In-surgery’ treatment.

That's all fine, but it isn't clear if they are doing one hour in surgery, or doing that plus the home kit, or just the home kit.
Home kits with custom trays, good, power blast in chair to start it off, good addition. Power blast on its own, fine if you just want the whiteness for a short time, you really should follow up with a home kit to make it last.

Anyway main point is, only buy if you know you are getting genuine product, referring to crest whitening strips, which I would suggest would be directly in the US from a main street reseller or pharmacy. Not over the internet.

Don't buy medicines on the internet kids.
 
tl;dr

Has anyone tried peroxide gel, maybe mixing it with baking soda. I assume it's PG that's in these strips, but you can buy the gel on it's own?
 
tl;dr

Has anyone tried peroxide gel, maybe mixing it with baking soda. I assume it's PG that's in these strips, but you can buy the gel on it's own?

Just how would you suggest keeping the peroxide gel on your teeth and avoiding your gums and the rest of the soft tissues?

Sounds like utter insanity.
Quite why you'd fire a bubbling compound into the mix to further complicate isolation confounds me further.

Don't try this at home kids.
Its called chemical burns!
 
Just how would you suggest keeping the peroxide gel on your teeth and avoiding your gums and the rest of the soft tissues?

Sounds like utter insanity.
Quite why you'd fire a bubbling compound into the mix to further complicate isolation confounds me further.

Don't try this at home kids.
Its called chemical burns!


Well it's seems a popular suggestion on after a google search for 'whiten teeth' although obviously never tried it.
 
Ok, rather than purchase from a possible 'dodgy' source on the bay or similar, can anyone recommend a genuine supplier who will ship to the UK from the US? Maybe someone who has bought the strips themselves and can vouch for their authenticity?

Hikari, can you recommend anywhere? If someone would rather not post on the forums for whatever reason, my email is in my Trust. Hook me up! :cool:
 
I won't recommend a source, as I do not have one.
The stuff we buy and use is from a large supplier, it is only for sale to professionals.
I wouldn't trust anyone selling or reselling the strips outside of the US, as they could easily be Chinese rip offs, and you'd have no idea until you started using it.

Advise is consult a professional, get custom trays and suitable product (carbamide peroxide).
 
I'm in the US and thought I'd give this a go and I'm currently sitting here with my first set of Crest Classic Vivid in. I chose these ones as they were the only Crest ones in the supermarket near my hotel. There was actually a more expensive brand which seemed to have a bigger range of products but I thought I'd stick with what I know is safe/apparently works. They were $26 for the 24 pack (12 applications).

Application wasn't too bad, they are a bit slippery but I think I got everything covered. 15 minutes into the 30 and no side effects yet. :D

The reason I'm doing it, I used to smoke until 8 years ago plus drink a lot of tea/beer/wine and when you get to 40 things need a bit of sprucing up! My teeth aren't terrible or anything but could be better, especially when you look around in the states. :p
 
At last, I know the answer! I am a dentist.

I am told that the crest strips work well by patients. But I don't know where to buy them in the UK. I did see them in the states ages ago so if you know someone going to NY or similar they can pick them up. Don't buy stuff off ebay or out the back of the paper, joe public can't buy the dental materials we use and don't get it done at the hairdressers.

Best way of getting your teeth whitenened is as follows:
Check to see if your general dentist does tooth whitening.
If they do not they will make sure you are dentally fit and refer you to a colleague.
Ideally consider having your teeth professionally cleaned if they need it (that is a visit with the dental hygienist/therapist) - it works better if you have the hard deposits cleaned away first.
The dentist will examine your dentition and check to see if is the right treatment for you. Remember any tooth colour fillings or porcelain crowns/veneers won't change shade - they are colour fast
The best results are obtained when you have fairly opaque teeth, rather than translucent teeth. Teeth with lots of colour in them whiten well.
Homewhitening with a dentist made gum shield (impression) is best
They provide about 4 cartridges of 10% carbamide peroxide to apply each night to your peggies, you sleep in the tray
This takes about 4 to 8 weeks depending on how fast teeth respond
It takes time to work, I tell patients not to worry if they use 3 cartridges and see no change, it happens all towards the end
Patients can repeat another 4 cartridges several times and discontinue when they reach a stage they are pleased with
If is very long lasting, 10 years plus. Main side effect is transient tooth sensitivity at the beginning which resolves swiftly
In the north expect to pay about £300
Some dentists use 16%, that's ok, I use 10%, best evidence and perhaps slower result but less sensitivity

Tooth whitening tooth paste wont bleach your teeth but may help maintain the whitening result after tooth whitening - I recommend saving your money and use a regular fluoride tooth paste - get your teeth professionally cleaned every now and again instead, look after your teeth and gums, save your cash

In-office tooth whitening - often involves paying lots of dosh to watch a DVD (Three Weddings) and then you get home whitening as well hmmm.....personally I recommend saving your cash, just have the home whitening which has great evidence for safety and effectiveness (unlike the in-office one).

Hope that helps my forum buddies.

pod
 
I use hammer strength toothpaste now, with the bleach ingredient added. Keeps my teeth from going yellow(ish).
 
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