The Rapid White Blue Light Tooth Whitening System is a fairly new product from the Boots brand, and promises visibly whiter teeth within a couple of weeks with a system of light activated bleaching gel that only needs to be on the teeth for 4 minutes a day. The product is reasonably priced at about £30, and, if you buy it with another dental product you get the cheaper one free, although your choice of other dental products is limited to toothbrushes and similar products costing only about £3 each
The system claims to be the first home tooth whitening kit with light activated gel, but this is not strictly true. The Pro White Smile system uses a similar light for use at home in a kit which is similarly priced. The Pro White system recommends the use of the light for about 10 minutes, as opposed to 4 minutes for the Rapid White system, but even this is probably less than that used by a dentist when carrying out teeth whitening in his office. Here a dramatic whitening effect is achieved in about 45 minutes of total treatment time, but of course at greater cost. It is likely that a daily exposure of the teeth to light activated gel will achieve a noticeable whitening effect over a period of a couple of weeks.
Advantages:
- The system is easy to use, provided you can keep your mouth open for 4 minutes, and is likely to achieve several shades of lightening in colour over a two week period.
- The system is relatively inexpensive.
- The kit gives good instructions and cautionary advice.
Disadvantages:
- Some users have said that it is difficult for them to keep their mouth open for the requisite time, and although 4 minutes does not sound long, there is often a tendency for a person to inadvertently have to swallow and momentarily close their mouth quite frequently. If you do this with gel on the teeth you are bound to get some transferred to the cheeks or tongue, and, although not harmful, is likely to sting a bit and be unpleasant tasting. When tooth whitening is carried by a dentist he protects the gums by painting over a rubber material to prevent gel from impinging on the gums. There is no provision for this with the home kit, so you need to be careful when applying the gel to keep it away from the gums as much as possible.
- Although the kit is not too expensive, many have reported early battery failure and the need to buy replacement batteries, increasing the actual cost significantly.
- The kit does not seem to mention the actual strength of the bleaching gel or how likely sensitivity of the teeth is to occur.
- The system is not suitable for children under 14, pregnant women, or those with sensitive teeth or severely receded gums, but this is the same for all bleaching treatments.
Verdict:
The product claims that this system is easier to use than a tray system, but, in fact it may well be that a close-fitting mouth tray is not a problem for most people to wear for an hour or two, whereas keeping their mouth open, without closing, for 4 minutes is. A dentist carrying out whitening treatment will usually provide mouth props that gently keep the teeth apart without any conscious effort on the part of the patient. If the mouth closes, even for an instant, then gel is going to go where you don’t want it. It is doubtful therefore that this product is quite as easy to use as the manufacturers claim, and this, coupled with the doubts over battery life, might not make it such a good purchase. The light employed is unlikely to be nearly as powerful as a dentist would use, and the whitening effect therefore takes much longer. A straightforward home kit with well fitting mouth trays is probably better for most people.
Where To Buy:
The Rapid White Blue Light Tooth Whitening System is available to buy online at Boots.com.
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