by Amber Hilton

Created on: February 21, 2007   Last Updated: December 04, 2009

Nothing makes a person feel more beautiful than a brilliant white smile. However, with age, our smiles tends to lose some of that sparkle. This process is accelerated by certain habits, such smoking tobacco and drinking coffee, tea or red wine.

However, you don't have to give up your favorite drink in order to renew your sexy smile (although I would suggest giving up the cigarettes for the sake of you health). With the introduction of new products in recent years, it has become possible to whiten your teeth at home, for a fraction of the cost you would pay at the dentist. However, with so many different brands and whitening methods available, it can be hard know which one to choose. By process of trial and error, I have found whitening "strips" to be by far the most effective.

In my experience, I have found Crest, which first introduced whitening strips in 2001, to be the most effective brand. Crest Whitening Strips claim to offer results that last up to six months, but I have enjoyed lasting results for almost a year at a time with just one box. Each box includes strips for both your top and bottom teeth, and each strip is individually packaged, with a protective backing that peels off easily. To apply the strip, you just position the side with the whitening solution onto your teeth and fold the excess over to keep the strip in place. Then go about your business for 30 minutes, remove, rinse or brush your teeth and enjoy your instantly whiter smile!

With such success, you would think that I would never stray from this great product. However, a few months ago, in an attempt to cut costs, I bought a box of store brand (Wal-Mart's Equate brand) strips instead. I figured there couldn't be a significant difference and the store brand was a ten dollar savings.

However, in this case, the saying "you get what you pay for" definitely rang true. The Equate strips didn't whiten my teeth nearly as quickly, taking about a week to see any improvement, versus only one or two applications using Crest. I would have had to use two or more boxes of the cheaper brand to get the same result as one box of Crest strips. Equate strips are also much thicker and more opaque, making them much more visible. Wearing these strips, I looked like I was wearing a mouth-guard and spoke as if I had a speech impediment. With Crest strips, I could wear one while I was out running errands or at the office without worrying that anyone would notice.

In all fairness, however, there were a few advantages to the store-brand strips. For one, they didn't taste as bad as the Crest strips do. However, I think this was in part because when I peeled off the wrapper, a lot of the whitening solution was left behind, so less was actually getting on my teeth (probably why they take so much longer to work). The also stayed in place slightly better, I think because they are so much thicker. This is also probably part of the reason that the taste is less noticeable. Both strips are the same in that you are instructed to wear them for 30 minutes at a time to see optimal results.

While the Wal-Mart strips did have some advantages, they were nowhere near as effective as the Crest strips. In my opinion, using Crest is worth the extra $10. If you're worried about the cost (usually between $25 and $35), steer clear of store brands and instead keep your eye out for sales and coupons.

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