One of the things I always stock up on the US (or get friends to buy for me if they’re there) is toothpaste. I use Rembrandt Intense Stain (I drink a lot of coffee, tea and diet coke… and maybe the odd taste of red wine..cough) to keep things bright, and it certainly does work more effectively than any UK whitening toothpaste.
Bottom line is that in the US, they’re allowed a higher proportion of whitening ingredients than we are here in the UK, so you will never get the day to day whitening results from a UK toothpaste that you can from a US version.
I checked with my friend Uchenna (at LondonSmiling) who does plenty of whitening procedures (she did mine when I had them professionally done a few years back) and it seems that while frustrating for anyone after bathroom tile white choppers, there’s good reason for it.
By law, in the UK, only professional, registered dentists, or technicians under instruction from a dentist can carry out a tooth whitening treatment. And that’s in the best interests of the consumer, because the unregistered practice of tooth whitening has, on many occasions led to a trip to A&E for the unlucky victim. So, the restriction of strength of whitening ingredients means that anyone offering ‘tooth whitening’ can’t legally give you a ‘professional whitening’ effect. Even UK dentists are restricted to 6% of peroxide, whereas in the US it’s double that (hence those super-white choppers that we see on US TV programmes).
So, bottom line is that we’re destined to have less gleaming teeth than our US counterparts in a bid to discourage illegal whitening practices. As ever, it’s a few spoiling things for everyone. It’s not, of course, illegal to bring back your own toothpaste from the US!
Aquafresh WhiteningAnyway, I’ve got a new one to try courtesy of my friend Kelly; Aquafresh Extreme Clean. I’m really looking forward to trying this one out and if it lives up to the claim of ‘significantly cleaner and smoother white teeth’ after one tube. It’s interesting that although this toothpaste is available here, all the ‘sell’ is on breath freshening, with whitening getting a small mention. US side, it’s much more about the whitening – and that’s because it will actually whiten your teeth for all the reasons above!
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17 comments
Good post, I’m trying out a new Pearl Drops one (Lasting Flawless White) which promises 100% more stains than others, I’m pretty blown away!
I do the opposite 🙂 – Our Sensodyne Repair & Protect product in the Uk contains Novamin, a remineralizing ingredient that dentists in the US seem to have a monopoly on so it’s not available in stores, just dentists, at a whopping premium. So I stock up on these and take them over there when I go.
So does the US version have different / stronger ingredients, or is it just being marketed differently? Hoping the latter, in which case I’ll buy it today!
Nic x
The US version has stronger whitening agents than are allowed in the UK.
I get my toothpaste from the US but for different reasons. I can’t stand anything remotely mint in flavour (any type of mint) & it’s so hard to get a non mint one over here that’s still a decent toothpaste. I use Toms of Maine orange & mango gel which isn’t as sweet as it sounds. I don’t like the aloe vera or cinnamon ones. I’d like to get my teeth whitened but am too scared they’d stick something mint flavoured in my mouth!!
I’m not that keen on minty toothpaste either.. Rembrandt is low on mintiness… x
This is a fascinating topic! I am definitely going to pick up some Sensodyne Repair & Protect when I am in England this summer. I think the Simple line is a lot cheaper there. Any other suggestions? For instance, is eau micellaire good price? Would also like to hear of drugstore makeup brands not found in the New World…
I hate mint and blanx doesn’t seem that minty
Janina ultrawhite ! Worth trying , is on offer in boots at the moment for £9
will look forward to your report at end of the tube Jane! It would be great if it works we will all be trying to get hold of it. Be great in between proper tooth whitening bouts.
6% peroxide for tooth whitening, is fine, but you just have to whiten teeth for longer. I use it every few months, twice a day for about a week, costs a total of £54 from my dentist, cheaper online if you trust it. problem is the initial outlay for the dentist making a tray that properly fits your mouth but good investment as lasts indefinitely. For me, in my late sixties, its one of the things (along with botox in my frown lines!) that really makes me look younger as my teeth are now naturally quite yellow.
I think whiter teeth really does brighten the face and give a fresher effect… I have a tray and I do use dentist top ups (Uchenna did my tooth whiteneing and made the trays) but I also use whitening toothpastes as well to maintain the effect for longer. I’ll report back as and when but I genuinely think that the Rembrandt makes a big difference. My regular dentist told me that any whitening can make your teeth more sensitive and mine definitely are worse than they used to be.
Hi jane, does the Rembrandt you order have a higher percentage of the whitening ingredients? Is that worth ordering? Thank you!
I’ve never used the UK version so haven’t done a side-by-side comparison, but US versions are allowed more whitening agents than in the UK. It’s definitely worked for me (US version).
I am desperately seeking some ways to whiten my teeth at home, as since Teddy arrived I’ve upped my coffee drinking quite considerably, so my teeth are actually more yellow now than they were when I was an up to 30-a-day smoker! Very annoying. I look forward to hearing your final thoughts on the toothpaste 🙂
ideally you should invest in a pro whitening treatment and then use the whitening toothpastes as maintenance (although you would get gel trays and can buy the gels to top up when needed) … you won’t get the same level from a toothpaste but I’ve used Rembrandt for years (US version) so I know it does work in keeping teeth brighter.
Is the professional whitening expensive?
I had mine done some years ago, but it can be – I reckon around the £300 + mark x