Affordable Teeth Whitening At Home | Whitening Methods I Use

I’m often told I have really white teeth. I don’t think my teeth are super white but I get the comment often enough that there might be some truth to it. Oral care is definitely something I’m conscious of. I do take time to care for my teeth. There are so many teeth whitening products on the market today and I’ve tried many of them. I would like to share with you the products I’ve discovered that work effectively and will not break the bank.

Floss-Tip Toothbrush

Toothbrushes play a big role in keeping your teeth clean of plaque. The cleaner the enamel layer the whiter your teeth will appear. Teeth whitening products work more effectively when plaque and surface stains are removed. While electric toothbrushes are fantastic they can get expensive. The ADA (American Dental Association) suggests people change their toothbrushes every 3 months or so. Most toothbrushes list recommended length of use on the package. This also includes electric toothbrush heads.

The brush that I love is by Colgate. It is the ultra soft, ultra slim floss-tip bristles brush. (Wow that was a mouth full 😏) This toothbrush has tiny (<0.01mm) soft bristles that go in-between your teeth. It is really amazing. It is like you are brushing and flossing at the same time. This however doesn’t replace flossing.

I purchased it from Walmart for under $6 for a set of 2.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a natural way to keep the teeth clean. It has some grit to it so it helps to scrub away surface build up. It’s abrasive so I don’t use this everyday. I use it once a week being careful to keep it away from my gums while brushing.

I use baking soda in 2 ways.

First way: I wet my toothbrush and dip the brush into the product. I brush my teeth with it for about a minute then follow up with my regular toothpaste (Tom’s Whole Care Spearmint).

Second way: I place toothpaste on my toothbrush and dip it into baking soda. I typically do this method when I have used a whitening product within a few weeks. It is more gentle on the teeth and doesn’t cause sensitivity.

You can buy baking soda from just about anywhere for under $5.

Teeth Whitening Toothpaste

I use a whitening toothpaste to keep staining at bay. Just about everything can stain your teeth. I really like Luster Premium White, Power White Pro Deep Stain Eraser. (These long names though 😳)

Power White Pro claims:

• Proven effective to remove up to 95% of surface stains in 5 days.
• Enamel safe and zero sensitivity.
• Helps against cavities.
• Uniquely formulated with fluoride and stabilized hydrogen peroxide.
• Satisfaction guaranteed.

This toothpaste can be used as a daily toothpaste but I only use it once a week for maintenance. This toothpaste is effective and so affordable. When you are first starting out with this toothpaste I would definitely recommend using it for 2 weeks straight to see results.

I have never recieved sensitivity from this even when I used it daily. The only downside to this paste is the packaging. Ugh! It has a really thick consistency and it is in a squeeze tube. The packaging makes it difficult to get out which can be frustrating.

I purchased it from Walmart for under $9.

Floss

I don’t know about you but I dread flossing. Waterpiks are great options but they are an investment. This next product is a true staple. I was strolling through Facebook one day and I saw a post from one of my friends about Cocofloss. I was curious how ANY floss could be good enough to rave about so I asked her about it and ended up trying it. Now I can’t use any other floss…I mean I could…but I really, really wouldn’t want to.😆

Cocofloss is more expensive than the average floss but it works so much better. The way it effectively cleans between your teeth and gums just doesn’t compare to regular floss. The texture of it is much thicker. It is infused with a vegan microcrystalline wax, coconut oil, fruit oils and fragrances. It is so unique.

Claims:

• Whitening, soothing, freshening, and cleansing.
• Contains over 500 polyester filaments that gently scrub plaque away similar to a loofah on your body.
• Cruelty-free, vegan, gluten free, and paraben free.

Cocofloss was created by sisters Chrystle Cu (who is a dentist) and Cat Cu. They created it to make flossing more fun, motivating, and rewarding for everyone. For a floss I must say they have put  lot of thought into it. Just so good I can’t rave about it enough!

I normally stock up when it is on sale from Sephora or directly from the Cocofloss website for about $8.

Teeth Whitening Strips

Teeth whitening strips are one of the top ways to whiten teeth at home. Crest 3D Glamorous White, Whitestrips are my long time favorite.

Crest Whitestrips claims:

• Just as effective to professional whitening.
• Formulated with the same enamel safe ingredients that dentists use.
• Removes 14 years of stains.
• Gives you 12 months or more of lasting results.
• Molds to your teeth and comes off clean due to an Advance Seal technology that allows the strip to stay put and not slip.
• You can drink water while wearing them.
• Satisfaction guaranteed.

The directions state to apply once a day for 30 minutes and you should start to see results in 3 days, full results in 20. You can use up to 2 full systems within a year. I use this for maintenance so I apply the strips once a month. I experience sensitivity with these so I’ll skip a month or so if I don’t feel I need it. They offer beautiful results. These strips are a great alternative to professional whitening.

The downside of these besides the sensitivity is that they don’t fit all of my teeth. I have to use 2 strips for the top and bottom. These Whitestrips are sold in so many places ranging around $45. I prefer to buy them on Amazon. They seem to offer the best price.

Beauty Tip

Wear a red lipstick with a blue/violet base. This tip refers to the color wheel. The blue/violet undertone in the red lipstick cancels out the yellow/orange in teeth to give the appearance of whiter teeth.

Give some of these a try and let me know what you think. What is a staple in your oral hygiene routine? I love to hear from you.

Thanks for hanging out today!

XO Terreana