The pros and cons of teeth whitening kits

For those of us who have somewhat yellowish or off-color teeth, teeth whitening kits might be a consideration. It is a simple option, available at any nearby Wal-Mart or drug store that doesn't require a whole lot of patience or visiting your dentist. Many times, the effects of the options readily available to us are quite astounding and help to brighten our smiles and overall presence in a room.

Kits that you can use in your home will work for changing your smile anywhere from three to eleven shades of color. Whether it be in gel form, whitening trays, toothpaste or strips, each of these works in a very similar way and is much less invasive than what your dentist can do with laser teeth whitening procedures (and far less costly).  However, like anything else you're using, you have to think about whether or not you should, if there are more pros and cons out of it for you, or you could do some serious harm to your smile.

A simple solution is tooth whitening paste because it requires very little effort, it's really just about brushing your teeth as you do as always, merely replacing your current toothpaste with whitening toothpaste such as Crest 3D White. The price-point is just right, costing just a little bit more than regular toothpaste (by about a dollar or two), and there is no associated pain or adverse effects. If you have severe discoloration, you won't see much improvement, if any, from these toothpastes, but they have been proven not to affect the health of your enamel, so you don't risk anything from trying it out.


No matter what you are doing, if you're using a medicated or chemical agent, you should always follow the instruction precisely. Have a timer with you when you are whitening your teeth and make sure you do not leave the strips or trays on longer than the instructions say to or you can ruin the enamel coating that protects your teeth naturally. Some people can experience tooth sensitivity where anything that touches their teeth causes extreme pain and awful sensation. Obviously, if you have used teeth whitening methods and this happens, stop immediately and visit your dentist or use Sensodyne toothpaste. You should not be using tooth whitening kits if you have receding gums, sensitive teeth and gums in general, or are allergic to peroxide (active ingredient in tooth whitening kits), but you should discuss it with your dentist before you go ahead and attempt doing so on your own. It is also important to note what kind of teeth you have because brownish-tinted and grayish-tinted teeth do not bleach well and if you have obvious fillings, bleaching will do nothing for their color but make them stand out even more in comparison to the rest of your newly-whitened teeth.

An easy way to make sure your teeth are white is to follow a proper diet heavily infused with fruits, vegetables, and drinking plenty of water. If you drink red wine, pop, caffeinated drinks, or colored drinks, you will diminish the whitening result fairly quickly. It almost goes without writing that if you smoke cigarettes, you should quit for a myriad of reasons, one of them being that they stain your teeth permanently and whitening kits won't do anything for you.

You may have other, associated issues causing your teeth to change color, for example, if you suffer from Bruxism (tooth grinding) you will wear away the bottoms of your teeth and inside the chipped areas  you will see yellowness. You should go see your dentist if this is the case for you so that they will provide you with a custom mouth-guard to be worn at nighttime when you cannot control your jaw's motions.

Which lipstick makes your teeth look white?

Before even attempting to pick out a color make sure you exfoliate and brush your lips with a toothbrush for the smoothest possible finish, wipe them down with a washcloth to remove excess flakes of skin. Hydrating your lips is crucial to this process because a moisturizing treatment is the key to smoothing down any wrinkles and lines you may have on your lips (use a thick lip balm without a drying agent/alcohol in it).



Regardless of which lipstick you choose, make sure that the formula is sheen/sheer because matte lipstick formulaas will get creased on your lips in every line and groove and make them appear dryer than they really are. Cinnamon and mint-flavored lipglosses and lipsticks will provide a plumping effect because the ingredients will cause a swelling reaction on your lips. Sheen and shimmer will also make your lips appear larger than they really are because it helps the light reflect in a way that creates a fuller effect. If you want longevity to your lipstick, make sure you fill your lips in with liner before you add your lipstick on top and then finish it off with translucent face powder, this is the trick makeup artists use to have lipstick last long periods of time.  



Red lipstick will complement all skintones



Choosing your lipstick color depends a lot on your skintone. If your skin is a pinkish hue then you want to choose blue-base red colors (not orangey, warm tones like your skin) and the opposite is true for olive skin, choose an orangey red (not the blue-based red which is cool toned like your skin). This contrasting effect will allow the red to make your teeth appear whiter. The deeper and more opaque red you pick, the better for creating a tooth whitening effect. But red lipstick easily can get on your teeth, thus diminishing the purpose of wearing it, so make sure you press a kleenex between your lips before you're done with the application to remove any excess, loose lipstick. If you leave extra lipstick on your lips it also will make your lips appear chapped and uneven instead of that glossy finished look you're going for.



Pink tones bring out the yellow in teeth

Mauve-based lipstick is also a good option to try if you're scared of doing the ultimate red lip. For real precision you will want to do your application either with surgically-steady hands or with a lip brush because strong colors like red must be applied perfectly in order to look good - any mistake will be readily visible. Whatever you do, if you're looking to whiten your teeth, do not wear pink lipstick, especially if you plan on doing a lot of laughing or talking. Pink lipstick will bring out the natural yellow in the enamel of your teeth and definitely showcase your plaque if you have any. You can feel safe using pink lipstick only if you have just returned from the dentist to have a deep cleaning or if you've recently completed a whitening regimen.