Kelly Ripa whitens her teeth. Photo: Bruce Glikas, FilmMagic
Dr. Irwin Smigel, the dentist-to-the-stars who invented veneers, bonding, and the popular whitening product Supersmile, explains how the teeth whitening movement got started:
"I originally created our whitening toothpaste in the early '80s as a gift for our patients," Dr. Smigel told StyleList. It works by removing "the protein pellicle (the sticky film to which plaque and bacteria adhere) from the teeth," he explained.
The Supersmile product took off, and today celebs like J. Lo, Ivanka Trump, and Kelly Ripa are all fans of the brush-on whitener.
"I can't use trays. It's great to have a toothpaste that whitens your teeth," Kelly Ripa said.
In other teeth whitening news, Crest is one-upping their popular Whitestrips with a new design (that grips teeth better) and a new spokesperson, "Watchmen" and "Couple's Retreat" star Malin Ackerman.
Ackerman told StyleList, "I use Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal, which I put on when I'm doing things around the house."
Crest is so sure you'll love the new strips as much as Ackerman, that they're giving 5 lucky StyleList readers a year's worth of the product for you and a friend, absolutely free!
Here are all the details:
- To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us why you want to whiten your teeth.
- The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Friday, November 20, 2009.
- You may enter only once.
- Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
- Five winners will receive a total of 8 boxes (4 for you, 4 for a friend) of Crest Whitestrips Advanced Seal, worth $44.99 each, for a total value of $359.92.
- Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
- Click here for complete Official Rules.