Listerine Instant Dissolving Whitening Strips Clean Mint 56 Each Review

The Verdict: I'll stick to Crest White Strips or Plus White gel. 

Just the Facts:  Several weeks ago I recevied a bunch of Listerine Instant Dissolving Whitening Strips because I'm a BzzAgent on BzzAgent.com.  They sent the strips to me so that I could try them out for myself and get the word out about this new product.

Well I wish I could say that this is a product that I love, love, love and can buzz, buzz, buzz about, but I'm just not that crazy about them and prefer Crest Whitestrips or even the simple bottle of Plus White that I've been using for years.

The Listerine strips are better than others in that they are completely dry when they are applied so my fingers are never touching the whitening gel and there is no risk of transferring that gel to fabrics or other surfaces that could get bleached out.  But that is the only aspect that makes them better than Crest or other strips. 

As I have been drinking lots of sodas and coffee and have not whitened lately I was anxious to give the Listerine strips a try.  After using them for 2 weeks I saw no difference in the color of my teeth.  The strips dissolve in the mouth so there is not a plastic strip to remove like with other brands, but there is still goo and little bits of the strip stuck to my teeth after whitening.  So when Listerine says that you can whiten anywhere and no one will notice, I don't buy that.  Unless I swish with water and spit out what's left, people can totally see the goo on my teeth, I can feel it, and it's just an oogy feeling.  Yuck.

The directions on the Listerine strips say that I can just swallow whatever is left in my mouth when the strips dissolve as the peroxide changes over to water and oxygen and the "other" ingredients are safe to ingest.  I have a problem with that.  Could that really be true?  I imagine the FDA, the EPA, the FCC, ASPCA or whoever looks at this kind of stuff wouldn't have approved it if that was not true, but it seriously skeevs me out to think about swallowing the strip and whatever is stuck to it.

The strips are very thin and easy to apply and when they are first applied they are invisible.  But as they break down and start to foam a bit they are visible.  The strips have a minty taste but Listerine claims that they will actually freshen my breath.  I don't see how that can happen and my mouth does not feel any fresher after using them so I disagree with that statement as well.

Closing Argument: Thumbs down.  The strips are easy to apply, can be used on upper or lower teeth, dissolve in about 10 minutes, and don't need to be removed.  But I didn't notice any difference in the whiteness of my teeth and these strips are NOT invisible.  But the big thing is that I am totally uncomfortable with swallowing this strip.  Gross.