I have been wondering something. Those Crest Whitening Strips (and products similar) that you apply to your upper and lower teeth that have that sort of gel on the flexible plastic strips all say that you should NOT brush your teeth before applying the strips.

Does anyone know why? I mean I would think that particles of food or other minute particulate matter would interfere with the cleansing/whitening action of the strips by NOT pre-cleaning your teeth.

I'm confused.

You're not to brush your teeth before application because if you are a vigorous brusher you can irritate the gum line. Also, if you have exposed roots, brushing makes them ultra-sensitive. If you applied the strips immediately after brushing the senstivity to gum line and exposed roots will be more severe.

If you go to whitestrips.com there is a question section and actually one of the questions is When to brush.
The answer:
We recommend brushing your teeth after using Crest Whitestrips. We've found brushing before applying the strips can lead to gum irritation in some people. If you still want to brush your teeth before using the strips, we recommend waiting at least 30 minutes.

Thanks for the information.

My brother who is a dentist said that those whitening stips are just really as good to buy in the store as to go into the dentist to get that done and alot less cost.