This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chatham chapter.
Truthfully, I feel like I have tried just about everything on the market as far as teeth-whitening products go. I’ve tried strips, trays, and even the clinical-strength stuff you can only get at the dentist’s office. Everything has worked moderately well for me, but I honestly have never seen the drastic transformations that they show on commercials.
I have not, however, used Colgate products (I’m generally more of a Crest girl myself) to whiten my teeth. There is something very appealing about the three-product process. The whitening pen is nestled within the toothbrush, which makes the product fantastic for traveling (I have had too many times where the change in pressure on a plane makes a whitening pen explode and get all over everything).
The toothbrush:
I initially thought that I wouldn’t really be able to form an opinion on this toothbrush—I mean, it’s just a toothbrush, how good or bad could it be? After just a couple of uses, though, I found that I did in fact have some strong feelings toward it; namely, I hate it.
I think because the pen is stored within the brush, they had to enlarge the size of the brush to something that is completely ridiculous. Even the head of the brush feels way too big for my mouth. Admittedly, I have fairly small teeth and a small mouth, so I generally go for brushes that are bit smaller.
The head itself is a mix of normal synthetic bristles and larger silicone bristles to get rid of the tough stains and plaque. The bristles are tough and the silicone bristles make it extremely stiff and frankly quite uncomfortable on even the slightest bit of gum sensitivity (holla if you never floss!). Clearly, I wouldn’t recommend the brush unless you’ve got a lot of space in your mouth and don’t mind brushing with something stiff as a board.
Before using product
The whitening pen:
Again, I really love how convenient this pen is—I don’t have to worry about it drying out or going bad because it is nice and secure within the toothbrush. Basically, how the pen works is you twist the end until the whitening solution comes out onto the silicone tip. I can appreciate the packaging for sure—you only take out as much as you need (which is just one or two clicks, so this lasts a while), there is rarely any excess product left on the tip (if there is, the directions say to simply wipe it off with a tissue), and the tip is made of silicone, which doesn’t hold in any bacteria, making this device fairly sanitary.
I do like that the product is low profile enough to put on in the morning and wear throughout the day. It is a clear gel-like substance that goes on the teeth and stays on for as long as possible. My main issue with the product is that I feel like I rub it off by simply living my life. Essentially, if you want this to stay on, don’t talk, smile, or really open your mouth at all.
The packaging says that you will see results after two days of use (it also suggests that you use the product twice every day, so I used it every time I brushed my teeth), so I recorded my results after two days.
To be honest, I see no difference. Literally nothing looks different to me between my before and my after picture.
After using product
The toothpaste:
I actually really liked this toothpaste. The appeal for me wasn’t so much that it really whitened my teeth in the amount of time promised (three days), but more so just the taste and the way it made my teeth feel.
The only way I can really describe the taste of the toothpaste is clinical—it tastes like something that you would get at the dentist’s office. There is a hint of mint that stays with you after you brush and it leaves my mouth feeling cool and clean. The toothpaste gets nice and foamy and regardless of whether or not it actually is, I feel like I am getting a really good clean from the product.
Overall, I can’t say I liked the whitening trio. I felt like it wasn’t very effective, and ate some points it was quite uncomfortable. The only product that I will likely use again is the toothpaste.
The hunt for the perfect whitening product continues!
With whitening gel on