Bridal Beauty: The Smile

Bridal Beauty: The Smile

April 30th, 2010 @ 4:49 pm by Mrs. Seashell
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Once upon a time, I decided my teeth weren’t white enough. This was probably around the time marketing agencies began shamelessly marketing teeth whitening products. Crazy, huh? So, I went to my local drug store and bought a box of these:

After 3 days of use, I became a whitening strip drop-out. OUCH! I must have insanely sensitive teeth because these things killed. I gave up. Months later, I made an appointment with my dentist for professional whitening. I figured they would get the job done most efficiently, and I hadn’t heard any horror stories. Um, yeah—I was knocked out for a whole day! Holy horrible pain! Note to self: you have massively sensitive teeth.

So on to Plan B. I still want my teeth to be as white as possible, especially for our wedding day, so here’s my regimen from here on out:

Listerine Whitening Pre-Brush Rinse

$6.29

Glide Floss Picks

$3.49

Crest Whitening with Scope

$7.29

Arm & Hammer SpinBrush

$4.59

(All photos from drugstore.com)

… And what do you know? These items are FAR cheaper than whitening strips and professional whitening! Plus, I’d obviously be using a toothpaste and a toothbrush no matter what (and the flossing is a good habit too).

So with less than eight months until the big day, I’m committed to using each of these products DAILY. This means no being lazy before bed and skipping brushing my teeth, or not taking the time to properly floss. Best of all, I’ve noticed results with the Listerine rinse and I’m not having any issues with sensitivity. Thank goodness!

Are you adopting any new regimens to prepare your smile for your wedding day?

Tags: beauty, providence |

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27 Responses to “Bridal Beauty: The Smile”

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Member

jackie-o (message) 2,389 posts, Buzzing bee

I began and HIGHLY suggest the Arm and Hammer toothpaste here http://www.overstockdrugstore.com/product_images/b/033200186601.jpg
I see a huge difference. And I am with ya the crest white strips hurt my teeth and gums…OUGH

4/30/10 @ 4:56 pm (reply)

Member

Cornhusker (message) 274 posts, Helper bee

Oh this makes me sad! I also have super sensitive teeth but was hoping tht the professional way would be okay! I will also have to try the whitening rinse to see it if works!

4/30/10 @ 4:57 pm (reply)

Member

redbullfanatic (message) 489 posts, Helper bee

I have super sensitive teeth too and omg the strips made me think my teeth were falling out. I found that using them every other day kept the pain away and still whitened them.

4/30/10 @ 5:09 pm (reply)

Bee

Miss Seashell (message) 1,713 posts, Bumble bee

@jackie-o: @redbullfanatic: Thanks for the tips!

4/30/10 @ 5:11 pm (reply)

Member

rawrkitty1022 (message) 516 posts, Busy bee

My teeth aren’t terribly sensitive, so I use the knockoff brand version of the whitening rinse. My teeth also are decently white to begin with - I don’t smoke or drink coffee, so I don’t really have stains, but they could use a whitening touch up. I’ve only had okay luck with whitening rinse. I mean, it does an okay job of maintaining what I have, but I wouldn’t say (at least on me) that I’ve noticed my teeth are any whiter. Oh well Glad you found something that works for you!

4/30/10 @ 5:13 pm (reply)

Member

alivoo01 (message) 2,622 posts, Sugar bee

I’m going to try out the whitening strips so we’ll see how that goes. Although, after reading your post and comments, I’m thinking about giving the listerine rinse and the arm & hammer toothpaste a try first!

4/30/10 @ 5:15 pm (reply)

Member

alvina (message) 807 posts, Busy bee

oooo good tip on the listerine! I have ultra sensitive teeth too!

4/30/10 @ 5:49 pm (reply)

Member

hisbunny (message) 767 posts, Busy bee

I used the arm and hammer toothpaste, and still do because of the great results, and how it really helps me with my killer morning breath…which has gone down since my consistent use. Yay for whiter teeth and not as stinky breath in the morning! (doesn’t really help that I wear a retainer)

4/30/10 @ 6:04 pm (reply)

Member

tea (message) 7,288 posts, Bee Keeper

let me know how that prerinse works. i’ve been thinking of trying it out

4/30/10 @ 6:40 pm (reply)

10.

Guest

Vegas Mom

I too have EXTREMELY sensitive teeth and cannot use any of the whitening strips out there. I tried using the pre-rinse, thinking that it couldn’t possible hurt as bad as a concentrated strip, well, I landed in the dentist office with such pain that I thought I had raw nerves exposed, My dentist told me that the rinse sometimes is worse than the strips because it gets into every nook and cranny. Just a word to the wise, but I hope it works for you!

4/30/10 @ 7:00 pm (reply)

11.

Member

Miss White Pearl (message) 195 posts, Blushing bee

Awesome regimine. That’s dedicaiton : )

I’ve started this as well and the Listerine whitening mouthwash totally works! I noticed a difference very early on. Seriously impressive.

Also, when I brush my teeth in between meals and don’t have the mouthwash, I use baking soda on my toothbrush too. Haven’t verified if it boosts the whitening or not, but the extra effort never really hurts, right?

4/30/10 @ 8:12 pm (reply)

12.

Member

jordynrose (message) 6,351 posts, Bee Keeper

Baking soda is a great way to battle surface teeth stains. I have tried to avoid teeth staining stuff, or brush my teeth immediately after eating/drinking it.

4/30/10 @ 8:50 pm (reply)

13.

Member

lolo7835 (message) 558 posts, Busy bee

I’ve been lucky with the whitening strips. My challenge was not drinking things that ruined all that work. The call for coffee, tea, red wine etc has to much of a call for me….maybe I’ll be more successful next time.

4/30/10 @ 10:39 pm (reply)

14.

Guest

reggi

i heard the arm and hammer whitening strips dont make your teeth as sensitive but i’ve never tried them myself so i cant say… good luck! =)

5/1/10 @ 12:46 am (reply)

15.

Member

jenni.frances (message) 15 posts, Newbee

I use professional whitening trays and because of my super-sensative teeth, my dental hygenist mom (makes her more credible!) suggested only leaving them on for an hour and leaving a day or two in between treatments so that my teeth won’t hurt so much. She said that the most whitening is done in the first hour so even if it says to leave on overnight, you’ll get good results after hour-long treatments and won’t get the pain! Just an idea!

5/1/10 @ 10:18 am (reply)

16.

Member

Miss Britt (message) 915 posts, Busy bee

I feel like the whitening toothpaste only really maintains my white, not so much increase it. But, luckily I am able to use the crest white strip without too many problems. The rinses also seem to help me with sensitivity as well…so hopefully you could give the whitestrips a try again after awhile.

5/1/10 @ 6:40 pm (reply)

17.

Member

ktbrady (message) 1,054 posts, Bumble bee

Sensodyne toothpaste really helps prevent the pain. I normally start using Sensodyne a few days before I start the whitestrips, and then I don’t have a problem. Without doing that, it is very painful.

I just had braces for the first time as an adult. In fact, I STILL had my braces on when I got engaged. Lame, I know. Luckily I got them off two weeks later!

5/1/10 @ 8:03 pm (reply)

18.

Member

nhlchick4 (message) 258 posts, Helper bee

I actually went with going to my dentist, who lucky for me also happens to be my boss . I had whitening trays made and my teeth look 100 times better. My Fiancée was so impressed, he wanted them too.

5/2/10 @ 4:06 am (reply)

19.

Guest

Teeth Whitening: Home Remedies | Buy Lowering Kit

[...] Bridal Beauty: The Smile | Weddingbee [...]

5/2/10 @ 1:48 pm (reply)

20.

Member

eileen marie (message) 1,662 posts, Bumble bee

I am lucky my teeth aren’t that sensitive. We invested in a electric toothbrush (after the wedding actually), and it really made a difference. I once did that Brite Smile, but it lasted like a month. I did bleaching trays with a 15% solution from my dentist before the wedding. (Plus your photag can always touch up!)

5/2/10 @ 3:06 pm (reply)

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