I totally get where you’re coming from. I tried those whitening strips once because they were on sale, but honestly, my teeth were sore for days and I barely noticed a difference. Did your dentist ever mention if insurance helps with any of this stuff? The cost is what really keeps me away. I just use the sensitive toothpaste now and skip the fancy stuff... not worth the pain or the price, at least for me.
The cost is what really keeps me away. I just use the sensitive toothpaste now and skip the fancy stuff... not worth the pain or the price, at least for me.
Right there with you on the cost thing. Every time I ask my dentist about whitening or anything cosmetic, they basically say insurance won’t touch it unless it’s “medically necessary”—which, let’s be real, whitening never is. Even regular cleanings are only partially covered on my plan, so I can’t justify dropping extra cash on something that might just make my teeth hurt.
I tried one of those “gentle” whitening kits a while back (the kind that claims to be for sensitive teeth), but honestly, it didn’t do much except make my gums tingle in a weird way. After that, I just stuck to using Sensodyne and called it a day. I figure as long as my teeth are healthy and not hurting, that’s good enough. Plus, I’ve noticed that drinking through a straw helps a bit with stains from coffee or tea—not a miracle fix, but cheaper than another failed strip experiment.
It’s wild how expensive all this stuff gets when you add it up... sometimes I wonder if anyone actually gets their money’s worth from these products.
