The promise of instant whitening: a test

Who wouldn't want noticeably whiter teeth in just two hours, with radiant results lasting for three months? Crest Whitestrips is now offering just that, with the newest member of its whitening family: Crest 3D White 2-Hour Express Whitestrips.

While going about our day in the office, a colleague and I decided to put these sticky strips to the test.

So off to the store I went, excited by the prospect of having a whiter and brighter smile by the end of the day. I was surprised when I saw the price: $55.99 for a kit containing four treatments (eight strips), or a year's worth of whitening. The results were more disappointing than dramatic. The "eh" rather than the "ah!" My colleague and I smiled in the mirror, expecting to see whiteness radiating from our mouths. Instead, our smiles quickly turned to frowns. A closer inspection of our teeth revealed the following: a slight (and I mean slight) change in our four front teeth, and zero change on the bottom choppers. To sum it up, the whitestrips did just next to nada.

This is not to say that 2-Hour Express whitestrips are ineffective, but rather that people may or may not see results. If used properly, over-the-counter whitening strips such as these can certainly be effective, said Dr. Gary Alex of Cosmetic & Prosthetic Dentistry in Huntington. However, there is definitely no guarantee because the success depends on the individual and his or her dental health.

Alex said "there are a lot of variables that make a person either a good or bad candidate for whitening," and so, whitestrip results vary from person to person. For example, people with pre-existing dental work on their front teeth, such as fillings or crowns, are not great candidates for whitestrips. On the other hand, individuals with teeth stained by cigarettes or coffee can be very good candidates. Alex also added that "yellow teeth tend to whiten up better than teeth on the grayer side."

On Crest's end, customer feedback has been "phenomenal," said Alissa Fitzgibbons, Procter & Gamble spokeswoman on behalf of Crest 3D White. "Customers are saying that they are getting what they expect to get and are pleased that they don't have to spend something like $600 at the dentist's office for a whiter smile," she said.

Both Alex and Fitzgibbons agree that a more detailed regimen is necessary if one wishes to see better results, as opposed to this "quick fix" approach, which may be appealing to someone trying to lighten their smile before a special date.