Don't You Deserve a Sparkly Smile?

Annie checks to see if all this teeth whitening business is really worth the scrub

I became obsessed with teeth - mine and yours - when my best friend dubbed mine "Chiclets" for their small and shapely nature.

In teeth I like a little crook or overlap - just something that adds character without making you queasy. Add snow white sparkle to the mix and I will stare all night.

So, for the past month, I have been diligently testing Plus+White Peroxide Teeth Whitener Gel, brought to us by CCA Industries of East Rutherford, New Jersey. I didn't exactly follow the directions (twice a day!), but I feel pretty confident that I've given it a fair brush.

The best part of Plus+White is the oddly pleasing feeling of rubbing an ointment-like substance on your teeth with a Q-Tip. The worst part is that the gel seems to sort of separate once in your mouth so if you have excess, it globs around without a tooth to call home. I'm convinced that to make it work you have to keep your lips sealed so no air can diminish the oxygenating action of the methyl salicylate.

The result is that you have to spit within seconds, and a little bit always escapes and clings around the outside of your mouth, but you can't slurp it back in without risking diminished results. Then your lips feel a bit stingy, which is easily soothed by Bonnie Bell Frosty Gloss, better saved for another review.

Do my Chiclets sparkle? Nope. Not like the girl I call Chrissa whose picture is on the package. But I do have a feeling of a smooth gleam, perhaps, that wasn't around before. And there's always the Mouth Tray technique, which "provides excellent results!"

Annie

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