The first thing my eye for a bargain noticed was its price tag of $16, about half the price of a pack of ten Whitestrips. So I took to the internet, searching for charcoal-based toothpastes, polishes, or powders, and wound up on a page featuring what would soon become my new Holy Grail for at-home whitening: Living Earth’s Black Pearl Teeth Whitening Powder. Some friends recommended I try activated charcoal for its many purported oral benefits, which include removing toxins, deodorizing, and whitening. More recently, though, I started looking for a more natural way to whiten at home that would work similarly to my beloved Whitestrips, and generate less waste (after all, every single strip comes clothed in two small pieces of plastic and wrapped in a plastic pouch, which isn’t exactly earth-friendly). There was something appealing about their peel-and-place process - put them on, wait 30 minutes, maybe do some homework, take them off, et voilà: whiter teeth would somehow appear when I smiled in the mirror of my carpeted suburban bathroom. Thankfully, the world of at-home whitening products has always offered some sort of solution to my separate but equal desires for a whiter smile and a flush bank account.Īs a teenager, I turned to Crest Whitestrips to give my teeth the shine and polish I coveted. Maybe that’s because I’m afraid of what I call the “too perfect” look of professionally whitened teeth - but, more likely, it’s because I’m cheap.

The one dental treatment I have never been able to get behind, however, is a professional whitening.

I proudly wore braces for years, still have my retainer - even though it’s been years (decades?) since I last wore it - and embrace biannual cleanings with the same gusto that’s led me to become a collector of travel toothpastes (Sensodyne Pronamel is my favorite, in any size). For as long as I can remember, I’ve actually looked forward to dentist appointments.

Philips zoom whitening review