Nov 29 2008
Do you whiten your teeth immediately when you wake up in the morning?
When I wake up in the morning, I will brush my teeth before putting on the Crest Whitestrips. Although the instruction booklet says not to brush your teeth before you use the whitening strip, it is kinda a bit gross to simply place it onto your teeth just like that with all those plaque that was built up overnight. 
Furthermore, I think the whitening effect may be compromised if the active bleaching ingredients in the gel cannot reach your teeth and is stopped by the plague covering your teeth, especially in the gaps between each tooth. Therefore, I tend to wait at least 30 minutes after brushing my teeth, and then put on the strips. The warning against brushing your teeth before putting on the bleaching strips is to prevent sensitivity caused by the whitening agent on your gums. When you brush your teeth, the toothbrush bristles tend to poke and rub against your gums and causes some slight micro tears and bruises in the surface of your gums. When you put on the Crest whitening strips, it become very easy for the gel to seep into your gums and cause those aching and sensitive sensations. If you do not have the time to wait or you woke up late, I think rinsing and gargling your mouth rigorously and followed up with using your finger to gently rub off those plague should do the trick as well. Things are starting to get tedious and sometimes I wish I have opt for Laser teeth whitening instead.
