Crest 3D Whitestrips + Light
I whiten my teeth between once and twice a year depending on how I am feeling about my smile. I have used the Crest Flex Strips for years as they don't cause me much sensitivity and a pack of 30 is only $50. But, this year I wanted to try something different. I wanted to stick with Crest but this specific pack looked so much more interesting than the Flex strips. This is the Crest 3D Whitestrips + Light kit. This comes with 10 strips and a mini light that claims to work quicker and better than any other whitestrips. And, it was only $10 more than the Flex so I went for it.
I was so excited going into this. The kit not only claimed to be effective but also looked fun to use! But, after day one of use my teeth were throbbing. My teeth never get sensitive to the Flex strips but my teeth felt like Jell-O after one use of this kit.
Based on my day one experience, I decided to use this every two days so my teeth could have a break. But, every time the sensitivity came back. This even burned my gums slightly which has never happened to me before. It was bizarre.
After only three uses I had to stop. My teeth became so sensitive that I couldn't drink anything without pain and eating became an issue. That doesn't work for me.
I know the box warns against sensitivity but dang this was bad. And, I saw very little difference in my teeth by the third use. I saw a little bit of bright white peeking through but nothing significant nor comparable to the Flex strips results. Plus, I was using my usual Crest toothpaste and mouthwash so I was sure I would see a bigger difference in the brightness of my smile. Guess not.
I may use this just once a month but I am not convinced that will make a difference. I spent a good amount of money on this so I am pretty disappointed-- sixty bucks for sensitive teeth and burned gums? Not cool.
Full disclosure: I did try to get my money back from Crest. They promise a 100% money back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with your results. But, I didn't have my receipt from Target to prove my date of purchase so they were not able to refund me. Instead, they suggested I send the entire kit back and wait 6-8 weeks for them to decide whether or not I can get a full refund. Lame.
Have you tried these whitestrips with the light? What did you think? Do you have another preferred teeth whitening method? Let me know!