How to Whiten Your Teeth - For Real
(and not spend a lot of money)
I have something useful to tell you about.
From the first week that I created Good Looking Loser, guys have been asking for a long time for an affordable, at-home, safe teeth whitening method that is worth a damn.
Until now, I've had nothing much to give you.
Nothing that good and nothing you haven't heard of.
I've tried a lot of methods too: teeth whitening strips, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, mouthwash products that promise to whiten, well-known 'whitening' toothpastes and gel whitening trays/mouthguards and professional (ZOOM) whitening.
With the exception of professional whitening, all left something to be desired or were completely annoying to use.
Whitening trays/mouthguards were the best at-home method, but I absolutely HATE the process.
I can't stand keeping a mouthguard in for 25 minutes while areas of my gums start burning* and not being able to eat or drink anything for 4 hours afterward. It's such a pain in the ass, in my opinion.
*Vitamin E oil on a cotton swab will stop this ASAP
What to Expect from Good Looking Loser's Teeth Whitening Protocol
Let me give you some perspective about what this is really going to do for you.
It WILL NOT be as good (fast) as professional whitening.
If you have the money (it costs $400-500), do that.
If you don't have the money, have a look at your Local Groupon Offers, you can get a procedure done for $50-100 if you can find one in your area.
Professional Zoom is the ultimate and fastest way to make your teeth 4-5 shades lighter.
My method will slowly (although you may see some results right away) whiten your teeth over several weeks, or at the very least - KEEP YOUR TEETH WHITE after getting them professionally whitened.
I can't guarantee the exact results you will get, but over 3 weeks - my teeth are still getting more white.
I'd say they are ~2 shades whiter than when I started, a difference large enough that 2 people that I see on a weekly basis have asked me what I've been doing if I hadn't gotten it done professionally.
I don't exactly expect this whitening rate to continue but at the very least - they won't be going backward any time soon. I'll still probably keep my usual 12 month ZOOM appointment.
I highly recommend my method if you drink a lot of coffee/tea/soda, smoke cigarettes, follow a Kratom lifestyle or simply don't have the money to shell out $1000 a year for professional pearly white teeth.
What You'll Need
The mandatory recommendations cost about $23.
They will last for at least 3 months. (if you use it everyday)
You'll need about 7 to 8 minutes of time before you go to sleep.
(not including regular flossing, you are flossing too, right...?)
Just use them as directed.
Required -
- Opalescence Whitening Toothpaste
(unknown whitening toothpaste that actually makes a difference) - Natural Tooth & Gum Powder with Activated Charcoal
(activated charcoal formula specifically made for dental use)
Optional, but quite helpful -
- ACT or Mouthwash of Your Choice
(I'll explain why later...) - Dr. Collins Professional Super Soft Toothbrush
(I'll explain why later too...)
The process is VERY QUICK and not annoying.
It's just like brushing your teeth two times, instead of one.
Here's what you need to do -
- Brush your teeth with the Opalescence Toothpaste
- Rinse out your mouth with water
- Floss your teeth, as you would normally
- Brush your teeth with the Activated Charcoal Tooth & Gum Formula and Dr. Collins Super Soft Toothbursh (4-5 minutes)
- Rinse out your mouth with water
- Rinse your mouth with ACT/other mouthwash (45-60 seconds)
- Don't eat anything and go to sleep
If you want to floss after using the Activated Charcoal instead of after using the Opalescence - you can do that.
Let's talk about the individual suggestions.
I want you to know why I've selected each recommendation and what it does.
Opalescence Whitening Toothpaste
This toothpaste first appeared on Lifestyle by Good Looking Loser in our "Fall 2014 Guide to Style (Accessories)".
For an over-the-counter toothpaste, this new obscure formula is quite good.
I've used Crest, Colgate, Aquafresh and Rembrandt's whitening toothpastes and Opalescence is noticeably better than all of them.
Opalescence is a company that only makes teeth whitening products (ALL of which are very highly rated on Amazon), they seem to know what they are doing. If you can tolerate the whitening trays, I wouldn't hesitate to use their products - definitely moreso than the annoying generic whitestrips.
It is the ONLY whitening toothpaste that I'm willing to recommend.
This toothpaste alone will slowly whiten your teeth, but the next recommendation is what is really going to kill any yellow tint on your teeth.
(many people feel that Opalescence gives notable results in the first few days)
How to use it
Use as directed.
Just brush your teeth well. Remember to brush up-and-down and not sideways, that is bad for your gums.
You can floss after this step.
Activated Charcoal Tooth & Gum Formula
This is the one I really want to tell you about.
High-end dental Activated Charcoal specifically created to whiten your teeth.
You aren't hallucinating, you read:
Charcoal.
(otherwise called 'Activated Carbon')
That black stuff you put in your grill to cook over.
Activated Charcoal is different than that regular grilling charcoal, it's modified for medicinal use and is actually something that you can safely consume. It's even a cheap dietary supplement that absorbs and removes thousands of toxins from your body.
Your local pharmacy and emergency room probably has it on hand for emergency poison control specifically for drug overdoses - it is one of the most powerful absorptive agents the world has ever known. Just a single teaspoon spreads its properties over 10,000 square feet.
Think of it as a sponge with thousands of little pores that suck/dry up unwanted crap.
* Video courtesy of MamaNatural
Activated Charcoal as a powder dental supplement works like this -
When you put it on your teeth the hundreds of 'black granules' (specs) absorb and disinfect your entire mouth.
Along the way it helps it suck up substances and bacteria that cause discoloration and will even help break down any existing yellowish film on the outside layer of your teeth.
It can literally help clean up stains.
Just like bleach would do, just much healthier.
It seems weird to put a ridiculously dark black powder on your teeth to whiten them, but it works pretty well and doesn't taste like anything. In fact, it has peppermint oil and Stevia in it - so it's a little sweet. Don't worry, it won't taste like you have dirty rocks in your mouth.
Yes, it looks gross.
Once upon a time, some cultures (and some traditional cultures today), used Activated Charcoal in-lieu of toothpaste.
You'll probably see results right away, there's a lot of verified purchases on Amazon.com that report this, but give it some time to really clean stuff up.
How to use it
Use as directed.
Brush your teeth for at least 4 minutes. Rinse out your mouth with water afterward.
You can floss if you didn't floss after the last step.
*ACT Mouthwash
(or other brand)
The final step of process is to rinse with mouthwash for about 45-60 seconds.
After you brush your teeth with Activated Charcoal, there will be some gritty (yet tasteless) sandy pieces in your mouth.
We are using the mouthwash to rinse these out and because a post-brush, post-floss mouthwash is good for your teeth and gums.
I use this one because it's alcohol-free, but you can use Scope, Listerine or Crest Pro-Health - my dentist recommends the latter.
* I bought the ACT at Walmart, the rest of the recommendations were purchased on Amazon - as you can see.
* Dr. Collins Super Soft Professional Toothbrush
Dr. Collins' professional brush is the softest toothbrush I have ever used. The bristles are still firm.
It's no more money than a regular toothbrush.
You can REALLY scrub your mouth well.
This is by no means necessary however.
Use whatever toothbrush you have.
I'm never using another toothbrush again.
(I do not like electric toothbrushes)
Pour Conclure
So there you have it.
It's pretty good.
Don't expect instant Zoom results, have patience but you can expect your teeth to get whiter - most notice pretty quickly.
I have no significant before and after pictures, because they are only a couple of shades whiter. Perhaps in another month or so though.
As of November 18th 2014, this is the best at-home protocol I've used for whitening teeth.
It's quick to use and it's super inexpensive too.
If I hear of something better AND TRY IT, I'll pass the word along.
Whitening trays aren't bad, they are just a pain to use. I've had the same results with the protocol above, without the hassle, but obviously over a longer period time.
If you do like whitening strips or bleaching tray, you can obviously use those in combination with this protocol.
... and oh yeah - REMEMBER TO FLOSS.
(it's not overrated)
If you have any unique teeth whitening methods THAT WORK or tried methods/products that don't work, drop a comment below.
We discuss teeth whitening and other grooming methods in the Good Looking Loser Forum (Get Groomed).
