How Often Should You Use Tooth Whitening Strips?

Teeth whitening strips are an effective at-home solution for whitening teeth. Results can show within just a few days of use and last for months. However, many people use whitening strips incorrectly. They either use them too little, which means no results, or too much, which can cause all sorts of side effects.

In this post, we’ll help you use tooth whitening strips just the right amount.

Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines

There are many different whitening strips on the market, each with a slightly different strength or slightly different chemicals. Any advice the manufacturer gives trumps anything we write here. The manufacturer knows best, so always follow their instructions. If a manufacturer says to use your whitening strips no more than once every couple of days, then do that.

How often you should be using whitening strips

A lot of it depends on your overall whitening goals.

If you want to get your teeth white as quickly as possible (and we’re talking several shades whiter), then complete the full course: once a day for 20 days with Crest 3D White LUXE. It can cause sensitive teeth if you’re not careful, but for most people it should be safe. Just make sure you watch for the side effects, which we’ll discuss shortly.

If you want to maintain the whiteness of your teeth, rather than turning them from yellow to glistening white, you probably won’t need to use whitening strips more than once or twice a week. When you already have bright white teeth, using strips daily won’t make much difference, so you may as well save a little money and use them only when you need a ‘touch-up’.

Of course, you may need to adjust how often you use teeth whitening strips over time. Just because you start off using them daily doesn’t mean you need to keep using them daily. Have a look at your teeth, see how white they are, and adjust your use of the strips to your goals at that point.

How to know you’ve used whitening strips too much

Whitening strips are safe when used properly. However, you can overuse them, and when you do, it can cause all sorts of side effects, including:

✕Sensitive teeth

If you notice sensitive teeth when you use whitening strips, you may be using them far too often. Sensitivity may show when you eat or drink something hot or cold. If this happens, it may be wise to skip the strips for a few days.

✕Gum pain

If you’ve been using the whitening strips correctly, the chances of gum pain should be minimal. However, it can happen if the chemical on the strips repeatedly touches the gums. Stop using them for a short period so your gums can recover.

✕Discolouration of the teeth

Overusing teeth whitening strips can damage the tooth enamel, which can cause discolouration. Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot you can do about this. But if you start to spot discolouration on your teeth, it might be wise to stop using the strips, at least for a while, and take stock. You don’t want the discolouration to get worse.

To be honest, many of these side effects can also come from using the strips incorrectly, rather than using them too much. For example, if you’re experiencing gum pain, you might have been pushing the strips against your gums.

It’s worth noting that you should only use quality tooth whitening strips. They are made with better ingredients, which means a far lower chance of side effects from overuse. This is why we highly recommend Crest whitening strips, which you can pick up from our website. They are dentist-approved.

How often should you use teeth whitening strips?

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using tooth whitening strips. Most can be used daily, but stronger strips may need to be used less often so you don’t damage your teeth. Keep your whitening goals in mind while making sure you don’t get any side effects. If you experience tooth or gum pain, stop for a few days and take stock. Otherwise, for Crest 3D White LUXE, one treatment a day for 20 days is the full course.