Quarantine has highlighted a small detail I wasn’t previously aware of — my teeth are yellowing. I’m not sure if it’s the daily coffee I sometimes indulge in, the wine I definitely indulge in, or the hyper-pigmented fruits in my diet. Whatever is causing this yellowness, it’s become noticeable for me to want to change it. After speaking to a dentist who recommended non-office-visit white treatments, I settled on Crest White Strips.

The 14-day Crest White Strips packs are made to be used consecutively and for 30 minutes at a time. The instructions are quite simple: press one strip on the top of your teeth and one strip on the bottom and then wait for half an hour. The box encourages users to not brush your teeth directly before but that gently brushing directly after is okay – (hint, you’ll want to do this because there is quite a bit of foam build up).

For me, I put the strips on shortly after waking up. I would wear the strips while making my bed, reading my daily devotional, listening to a podcast and preparing breakfast. The strips are easy to put on and don’t leave a weird taste in your mouth. In the beginning, I found it difficult stretching the strip to all bottom teeth and when I was able to, it seemed the strip didn’t fasten to my teeth as quickly as I assumed. I learned that biting down a couple times gets the strips in place and guarantees an even coating on all teeth.

Once your 30 minute alarm sounds, gently remove the strip from your mouth and brush your teeth to decrease any foam that might have built up. Now for the good stuff: the results.

Through the duration of the 14-day treatment, I avoided coffee, wine and things that could stunt my results. And I’m so glad I did, by day 3 I had already noticed a visibly whiter mouth and by day 8 I was convinced that the box really does remove 10 years of stains like it claims. What was most amazing is the plaque that occasionally sits on my teeth from eating certain starchy meals, was no longer. It was as if the Crest White Strips came in, waved their special formula and all was well.

I’ve read a couple reviews that people had gum sensitivity from using the strips but I didn’t find that. The box does recommend only doing the treatment twice a year, so I suppose if you did it more than that, you could develop sensitivity to your gums. I am happy with my results and for only $29.99, it sure beats the price of repeatedly seeing a dentist.

If you’re on the market for other affordable teeth brightening treatments, I would also recommend the below:

• Supersmile Professional Whitening Accelerator
• Cali White Vegan Teeth WHITENING KIT with LED Light
• AuraGlow Teeth Whitening Pen

You can also try these other methods to keep your teeth white.