Aquafresh’s White Trays are Aquafresh’s response to the success of their competitor Crest’s Whitestrips products.  Instead of copying Crest and making strips, Aquafresh came up with a whole new idea – peroxide gel in a tray wrapped around your teeth.

That’s basically how the White Trays work.  You put the gel on the trays and stick them in your mouth, bite down, and let the peroxide soak in to your teeth.  Unfortunately for Aquafresh, consumers have little in the way of choices.  In fact, there is only one choice: Aquafresh White Trays.  There aren’t different types or different strengths of White Trays, there’s just one kind.  That’s okay, though, because White Trays work.  They work excellently.  The gel used in the White Trays contains 10% hydrogen peroxide, making them comparable with Crest’s Pro Effects or Advanced Seal products.

Compared to the Pro Effects and Advanced Seal Whitestrips, the White Trays surpass them in effectiveness in one regard.  The White Trays more thoroughly whiten than the Whitestrips, because the gel can get into the grooves and the hard to reach places, whereas the Whitestrips can only lay across the top of the teeth, unable to go deep in between.

Sadly, the Aquafresh White Trays have some faults, too.  Part of spreading around the teeth better comes with the inability to control exactly where the gel touches, causing gel to easily touch the gums, which can lead to burning, tissue damage, and sensitivity.  Aquafresh answered this problem by releasing the Aquafresh Pro-Gentle System, which is simply the White Trays included with a toothpaste designed to reduce sensitivity.

Unfortunately, this downfall of Aquafresh’s White Trays is too much for it’s benefits to handle; they just don’t cancel it out.  No matter how well a teeth whitening product works (and the White Trays do work very well), it does not excuse it from damaging the gums.  With Aquafresh White Trays, damaging the gums is all too easy to do, even if you’re careful.  Sure, the gum damage may be very minimal, but it is still gum damage.  For this reason, we cannot give Aquafresh’s White Trays above three stars.  White Trays are the result of valiant effort from Aquafresh to compete with Crest, but the trays just don’t make the cut.

Crest Whitestrips Renewal

THIS PRODUCT WAS DISCONTINUED IN 2008 AND IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Crest Whitestrips Renewal, first introduced in 2006 and later discontinued in 2008, are in the middle-range of teeth whitening products.

With a 9.5% hydrogen peroxide content, these Whitestrips are slightly less intense than the Pro Effects and Advanced Seal Whitestrips.  Coming in a package with 40 strips, these Whitestrips are designed to be worn for 10 days for 30 minutes twice daily.

Crest Whitestrips Renewal is recommended for users with darker than normal stains and for users without sensitive teeth.

This product gets only three stars; although it works well, there are better over-the-counter choices readily available.

Crest Whitestrips Supreme

Crest Whitestrips Supreme, first introduced in 2003, are the strongest Whitestrips available, but they are not availalbe over the counter.

These Whitestrips have a 14% hydrogen peroxide content, making them the most intense of the teeth whitening products. They come with 84 strips, 42 each for the upper and lower sets of teeth, and are designed to be worn for 21 days.

Crest Whitestrips Supreme are recommended for users with the most intense stains, but the users must not have sensitive teeth, as this product can and likely will cause some sensitivity.

We award this product four stars because of it works very well; its performance is simply unmatched.  Supreme Whitestrips will dramatically whiten your teeth.  It did not get a perfect score because, like most other Whitestrips, it sometimes slides off the teeth, making it difficult to use, and its non-availability over-the-counter makes it harder to purchase.

Crest Whitestrips Professional

THIS PRODUCT WAS DISCONTINUED IN 2005 AND IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Crest Whitestrips Professional, first introduced in 2001, provided for 40% more whitening than over the counter Whitestrips. It was not available over the counter. It was discontinued after the release of Crest Whitestrips Premium.

With a 6.5% hydrogen peroxide content, each strip was barely more effective than Classic Whitestrips strips. The difference is that the Professional Whitestrips are designed to be worn for 21 days instead of 14; the package comes with 84 strips, 42 each for the upper and lower sets of teeth.

Crest Whitestrips Professional is recommended for users with darker than normal stains and for users without sensitive teeth.

This product gets two stars because its performance is minimally better than Crest Whitestrips Classic, yet it costs a great deal more and is inconvenient to acquire because it is not available over the counter.

Crest Whitestrips Premium Plus

THIS PRODUCT WAS DISCONTINUED IN 2008 AND IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Crest Whitestrips Premium Plus, first introduced in 2005, were made for users who wanted a little bit more than what the Premium Whitestrips offered. The difference was not in the amount of hydrogen peroxide but in the length of treatment. While the Premium Whitestrips are designed to be worn for 7 days, the Premium Plus Whitestrips are worn for 10.

The hydrogen peroxide content of these Whitestrips is 10%, making it more intense than other teeth whitening products. The package comes with 40 strips, 20 for the upper teeth and 20 for the lower teeth, and is designed to be worn for 30 minutes twice daily.

This product was renamed, in 2008, to Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects, and it is available under that name only.

Crest Whitestrips Premium Plus is recommended for users with darker than normal staines, users who want a few more days than the Premium package allows, and for users without sensitive teeth.

This product gets four stars because it does the job it says it does; Premium Plus Whitestrips whiten your teeth very effectively.  Unfortunately, though, it suffers from the common Whitestrips problem of sliding off the teeth, which makes it difficult to use.

Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal

Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal, first introduced in 2009, are Crest’s answer to the consumer complaints about the other Whitestrips: the strips keep falling off!

The Advanced Seal Whitestrips are the same intensity as the Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects, but have a better adhesive, which keeps them stuck to the teeth much better. These Whitestrips are far less limiting than the others – you can eat, smoke, or drink while these are in your mouth. Some users complain, however, that these strips are difficult to remove.

At 10% hydrogen peroxide content, these strips are more intense than some of the lesser teeth whitening products. The package comes with 40 strips, which are designed to be worn for 10 days on both the upper and lower sets of teeth.

Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal is recommended for users with darker than normal stains, for users without sensitive teeth, or for users who do not wish to be limited during the periods when the Whitestrips are worn. Despite the difficult some users have of removing the strips, this product is recommended over Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects, because it is the same thing but doesn’t fall off the teeth.

We gave this product five stars.  In our opinion, this is the best teeth whitener available.  It’s peroxide content makes for very effective whitening, its adhesive material keeps it on the teeth, and it is readily available over the counter for a reasonable price.

Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects

Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects were originally called “Crest Whitestrips Premium Plus,” which was introduced in 2005. But, that name wasn’t catchy enough, so Crest decided in 2008 to rename it to “Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects.”

Still the same product, the Pro Effects Whitestrips contain 10% hydrogen peroxide and are designed to be worn for 10 days – the package comes with 40 strips.

These Whitestrips are stronger than Crest Whitestrips Premium because of the additional 3 days of use.

Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects are recommended for users with darker than normal staining who want an extra three days of whitening to be sure the stains are removed and for users without sensitive teeth. Crest Whitestrips Pro Effects, along with Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal, are the strongest teeth whitening products available over the counter.

This product gets four stars.  It whitens teeth very well but suffers from the lack of adhesion; although its whitening works well, it is difficult to keep on the teeth, making achieving the whitening effect harder to accomplish.

Crest Whitestrips Premium

Crest Whitestrips Premium are in the middle-range of intensity of teeth whitening products. First introduced in 2004, the Premium Whitestrips were Crest’s answer to consumers who demanded more effective whitening strips.

With 10% hydrogen peroxide, these Whitestrips are more intense and more prone to cause tooth and gum sensitivity. However, these strips will also whiten teeth more effectively in a shorter amount of time than some of the weaker teeth whitening products. The package comes with 28 strips, designed to be worn for twice a day for 30 minutes each on both the upper and lower sets of teeth.

Crest Whitestrips Premium are recommended for those who have heavier than usual stains, for users who want to complete the whitening within a week, and for users who do not have tooth or gum sensitivity.

This product gets three and a half stars, because it works well but slides off the teeth like most other Whitestrips products.  We think that users are better off going with the Pro Effects Whitestrips because the three extra days of treatment make for a better whitening effect.

Crest Whitestrips Daily Whitening Multicare + Tartar Protection

Crest Whitestrips Daily Whitening Multicare + Tartar Protection is one of the most mild teeth whitening products. First introduced in 2007, these Whitestrips were made for those who don’t have an hour each day to put aside for teeth whitening and for those with the most sensitive teeth.

At only 6% hydrogen peroxide, these Whitestrips are mild. But, what makes these whitening strips especially mild is that they are only worn for 5 minutes per day. They come with 38 strips for the upper and lower teeth for a total of 76 strips.

These Whitestrips come with an advantage that few other teeth whitening products offer – tartar protection. If you have an especially hard time controlling tartar, these whitestrips may be useful to you. For most users, however, brushing and flossing are adequate in tartar protection.

Crest Whitestrips Daily Whitening Multicare is recommended for users who have already whitened their teeth and wish to maintain their teeth’s whiteness, for users who have little time, or for users with the most sensitive teeth.

This product gets four stars, because it maintains the teeth very well and is the easiest Whitestrips product to use.  Users need only five minutes a day, making this product more practical than the others.  It did not get a perfect score because it slides off the teeth easily like other Whitestrips products, is ineffective against darker stains, and its boasted tartar control has negligible benefits at best.  For tartar control, we recommend brushing and flossing.

We recommend Daily Multicare without tartar control over this product.  It is cheaper, and the tartar control that you pay extra for provides no real benefit.

Crest Whitestrips Daily Whitening Multicare

Crest Whitestrips Daily Whitening Multicare is one of the most mild teeth whitening products. First introduced in 2007, these Whitestrips were made for those who don’t have an hour each day to put aside for teeth whitening and for those with the most sensitive teeth.

At only 6% hydrogen peroxide, these Whitestrips are mild. But, what makes these whitening strips especially mild is that they are only worn for 5 minutes per day. They come with 38 strips for the upper and lower teeth for a total of 76 strips.

Crest Whitestrips Daily Whitening Multicare is recommended for users who have already whitened their teeth and wish to maintain their teeth’s whiteness, for users who have little time, or for users with the most sensitive teeth.

We awarded this product four out of five stars because it accomplishes its mission very well.  This product was designed for maintaining white teeth, for mild stains, and for practicality of use.  It does these things well.  It maintains effectively, it works on mild stains, and is only required to be worn five minutes per day, making it one of the easiest teeth whitening products available.  It did not get five stars because it slides off the teeth easily like other Whitestrips products, and it is ineffective against tougher stains.