BellaSugar

Product Review: Crest Whitestrips with Tartar Protection

BellaSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:00:49 -0700

When two dentists in a row recommended Whitestrips over more expensive tooth-whitening products, my inner Scrooge McDuck was giddy. It's always great when experts sing the praises of relatively inexpensive treatments over spendy ones. Alas, the original Whitestrips formula requires users to wear 30 minutes a day, and frankly, that is too much of a commitment for me.

But now I am back on the Whitestrips bandwagon because of a new variety. Crest has released a tartar-control version that promises to whiten teeth and reduce tartar - and the best part is that you have to wear the strips for only five minutes a day. I've been using these for the past two weeks, and I'm already seeing pearlier whites. What's more, I credit them with minimizing a stubborn bit of tartar that always seems to pop up on my incisors. Usually I have to break out the ol' Sonicare to get rid of that buildup, but now my chompers are clean without it.

Since my teeth are brighter and cleaner, the new Whitestrips a big thumbs-up from me. The retail price is $39.99, but you can get a $7 coupon to make the price more palatable.

Tooth Whitening: Is Cheaper Better?

BellaSugar — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:00:27 -0800

Lately, I've been thinking of having my teeth whitened at Brite Smile, but the idea of spending a few hundred dollars for gleaming chompers doesn't sit so well with my inner cheapskate. So this morning, I asked my dentist which method he recommended.

"Honestly," he said-and I paraphrase-"I'd just get some Whitestrips." He went on to say that while Brite Smile would give me slightly better results than Whitestrips, he didn't think the difference was worth the significantly larger cost.

He's not the only one. My former dentist once told me the same thing: Whitestrips are effective and relatively inexpensive. Thought you all might like to know that in my completely informal survey, the at-home stuff gets the thumbs-up from dentists. It's been a few years since I've done Whitestrips, so I'm curious: Do you think they work? Or would you rather save up and do something like Brite Smile?

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: Bro Down

BellaSugar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:05:40 -0800

The good thing about holiday shopping for your brother is that you can give him the sort of grooming goodies that he might not buy on his own. For instance, while he might pick up Whitestrips at Target, you could treat him to a luxurious GoSmile whitening kit. Or if he's the furthest thing from a metrosexual, you could ease him into it with a beer-infused shampoo. Have a look through my brotherly-love picks, and don't miss my other holiday shopping suggestions, either!

C.O. Bigelow Mentha Body Vitamin Body Wash, $12	GoSMILE: Advanced Formula B1 Tooth Whitening Kit, $89
Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo, $7.95 and up	The Art of Shaving Shave Cream, $32
Bald Guyz Head Wipes, $4.39	Origins Save the Males, $32.50	Billy Jealousy Lunatic Fringe Hair Pomade, $16