In case you simply cannot be bothered to read through my whole ordeal, here are FIVE things you should know before you whiten your teeth for the first time!
#1. The strip works by breaking down the protein layer on your teeth to whiten your teeth
#2. Depending on the strength of the gel, the whiting gel will irritate your nerve system during the whitening process and cause pain. People who have sensitive teeth are especially affected, but I was very much affected even though I do not have sensitive teeth, the pain actually quite intense for me.
#3. It is my personal advice to not use the whitestrip right before bedtime just in case your teeth hurts so much you cannot even sleep!! (At least for the first time so that you know what the experience will be like)
#4. Follow instructions! Do not leave the strip on any longer than what is recommended, the gel may be too strong for long duration and cause nerve irritation.
#5. brushing your teeth after whitening will cause the pores to open even bigger, causing more irritation to the nerves and thus more pain, so brush lightly please~
If you wish to read further, here is what happened that eventually led to my hard learned lesson...
I am a big tea drinker, not only for its health benefits, but also for its earthy, calming smell and taste. Like coffee, tea does some serious damage staining my teeth, and I, in turn, had the brilliant idea of whiting them!
This is not the first time that I have whitened my teeth, I have, in the past, used Crest whitestrips Gentle Routine, but after using it for 2 weeks, there was no visible result. So this time, I turned to the much more powerful alternative, Crest whitestrips Professional Effects, it is by far considered the most effective whitening strip in the market.
I have read many positive reviews, but nothing quite prepared me for what I went through... quite a nightmare!
The instruction on the box calls to leave the strips on for 30 minutes. Hoping for faster results, I left it for 10 minutes more, which theoretically should not have too much of an effect.
When I tried to take the strip off 40 minutes later, the gel seemed to be stuck to my teeth, and I had to use a little bit of force to pull them off. Given there was still gel stuck to my teeth, I proceeded to brush my teeth. This was around 10:30 p.m. and I was about to sleep soon.
My teeth felt a little irradiated right before I slept, but it was nothing major, but what came next really scared me a little. I woke up in the middle of the night because both my upper and lower teeth were intensely hurting. My initial thought was that... 'OMG I have done permanent damage to my teeth and it's going to hurt forever!!!' It sounds a little irrational now, but that my thought during that moment. Just for a bit of background information, while my teeth are perfectly straight, they are not very strong and I have had multiple fillers done.
The middle of the night meant I had no other help other than the internet, and after a little digging, I calmed myself down, and learned a few things about using whitening strips. My teeth continued to hurt for the next 24 hours, although the intensity did gradually decrease.
Stay beautiful, and be safe with beauty products~
No comments:
Post a Comment