This is my personal review of the Colgate Optic White Advanced Whitening Toothpaste after having used it. I will be giving you my subjective thoughts based on my personal experience with testing it and also the objective facts about the alleged benefits of this dentifrice.
Yes, I am a dentist so don’t skip the section about how this toothpaste works because I will be explaining about how it does what it claims to do. Our goal is to help you in deciding whether or not this whitening toothpaste is worth a try.
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Overview
The Advanced Whitening toothpaste is a part of Colgate’s Optic White line of products that are specialized in whitening teeth. You can easily identify the optic white products due to their bold red packaging that helps you differentiate it from their non-whitening products.
Featured benefits
The primary selling point for the optic white advanced whitening toothpaste is that it is peroxide-based. It alleges that it can deeply whiten your teeth for up to 4 shades when you brush with it twice daily for 6 weeks. That is of course when compared to run of the mill whitening toothpastes.
“The impact of Colgate® Optic White® Advanced Toothpaste goes beyond surface stains using our patented 2% hydrogen peroxide formula.”
Colgate
List of benefits:
- Hydrogen peroxide (2%)
- Enamel safe
- Prevents cavities
- Freshens breath
- Deeply whitens up to 4 shades
We will explain how all of these benefits work in a later section.
Product specifications
| Attributes | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Price | $ |
| Net weight | 3.2 oz (90g) |
| Whitening agent | 2% hydrogen peroxide |
| Fluoride | 0.76% monofluorophosphate |
| Available | Major pharmacies & online retailers |
Ingredients
Below is a full list of the ingredients in the optic white advanced whitening toothpaste. The ingredients are fairly standard aside from the higher peroxide concentration which most whitening toothpastes do not have.
The ingredients are actually identical to the colgate optic white renewal toothpaste except for the peroxide concentration difference. It is also very similar to the optic white pro series toothpaste but with a few extra differences.
Whitening agent:
- Hydrogen peroxide (2%) – chemically bleaches away teeth stains.
Remineralization agent:
- Sodium Monofluorophosphate (0.76%) – anticavity and enamel repair.
Whitening abrasives:
- Silica – mild natural whitening abrasive.
Stain and tartar prevention:
- PVP – prevents staining by preventing stain molecules from adhering onto teeth.
- Calcium pyrophosphate – tartar control agent but also prevents stains.
- Tetrasodium pyrophosphate – tartar and stain prevention.
- Disodium pyrophosphate – anti-tartar agent.
Flavoring:
- Flavor – yes this was a listed ingredient…
- Sucralose – sweetener.
- Sodium saccharin – sweetener for flavoring.
Others:
- Propylene glycol – humectant (prevents toothpaste from drying out).
- PEG/PPG-116/66 copolymer – humectant which prevents toothpaste from drying.
- Sodium lauryl sulfate – surfactant that helps foaming and lathering for cleaning.
- BHT – synthetic antioxidant that is used as a preservative.
Unboxing
The optic white advanced toothpaste comes in a standard rectangular cardboard box with a bold red design. The optic white’s bright red color design is very iconic and in my opinion, you literally can’t miss it if you ever see it in stores.
The box comes sealed on both ends with glue so you can’t open it and reclose it without breaking the packaging. Once you open it, you can find the tube of toothpaste nestled inside. There is no protective housing feature inside of the box to protect it.
The texture of the tube’s plastic is normal/average. Definitely nothing to take home about but then again this toothpaste was relatively inexpensive to begin with.
Anyway, all you need to do to begin using the advanced whitening toothpaste is to open the flip cap. I absolutely love the flip cap design because it is convenient for opening and closing. It is so much easier than the twist off caps.
The only unfortunate thing is that there is no aluminium freshness seal once you open the cap.
After you finish using it, you can store the toothpaste in a vertical upright position which is another design feature that I adore. In my opinion, toothpastes that stand vertically take up less space and look more organized when compared to a sideways laying tube of toothpaste.
An added bonus for an upright toothpaste is that gravity naturally pulls the paste inside the tube down to the opening. This way you don’t have to do as much squeezing to dispense every last drop of it so it does help you get your money’s worth.
My experience
After using the colgate optic white advanced whitening toothpaste, my mouth felt very fresh and clean afterwards. I suspect it has to do with the peroxide which is an antiseptic that can obliterate oral bacteria.
Color: The color of the optic white advanced toothpaste is an opaque white color which is fairly typical. There weren’t any other colors or stripes.
Smell: This toothpaste smells like mint so if you like that, this will be the toothpaste for you. With that being said, the mintiness isn’t so potent that it singes your nose hair just by smelling.
Taste: Similar to its smell, it tastes fairly minty. As a matter of fact, you’ll get that tingly cooling sensation in your mouth as you are brushing. If you also happen to have some drool out on your chin, your chin will feel tingly and cooling.
Texture: There is a slight grittiness to this toothpaste but it is less so than the renewal toothpaste and definitely much less so than the pro series toothpaste. It seems like a common theme for the optic white toothpastes is their gritty texture.
Body: The toothpaste did withstand the upside down toothbrush test. It didn’t droop off when I turned it upside down, which means that it can hold its shape and is not watery.
Foaming: The optic white advanced toothpaste will create quite a bit of foam as you are brushing since it does contain SLS.
Overall, I had a very pleasant experience each time that I used it. There weren’t any negative thoughts or feelings during the brushin process.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Removes extrinsic & intrinsic stains
- Enamel safe
- Antibacterial
- Upright storable
- Fresh & clean feeling
- Relatively inexpensive
Cons:
- Small quantity (3.2 oz tube)
- Can cause teeth sensitivity
Like & Dislike
Overall, there is a lot that I like about the advanced toothpaste… so much so that there are significantly more that I like than what I dislike about it. I think it makes for a great everyday toothpaste since it doesn’t feel as potent as say the 5% peroxide pro series toothpaste.
What I like:
- Contains peroxide so it can bleach your teeth whiter unlike other non-peroxide whitening toothpastes.
- The peroxide also doubles up as an antiseptic so it kills bacteria and keeps your breath feeling fresh.
- I adore the flip cap design because it opens and closes so easily.
- The cap also allows for vertical storage.
- I haven’t actually experienced any sensitivity from using it despite the precautions on the label.
- It is surprisingly inexpensive, at least it costs less than the renewal and pro series toothpastes from optic white.
What I dislike:
- The peroxide concentration is lower than the pro series and renewal toothpastes.
- The plastic tube isn’t as high quality as some of their other toothpastes.
How it works
All of the alleged claims of the colgate optic white advanced whitening toothpaste can be substantiated. You may be surprised but it can in fact do what it says it will do.
We will explain all of the mechanisms below.
How it whitens teeth
This toothpaste whitens your teeth using two different mechanisms.
- Mechanically abrade stains. The sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) along with the silica allows it to scrub away extrinsic surface stains on your teeth.
- Chemically oxidize (bleach) stains. The peroxide is what gives this toothpaste its bleaching ability to make your yellow teeth whiter.
Most whitening toothpastes on the market do not contain any peroxide so they cannot bleach your teeth. The only way they will whiten your dentition is via mechanical abrasion only which isn’t what you normally think of when you “whiten teeth”.
The advanced toothpaste by colgate is one of the few that actually contain hydrogen peroxide so it will be able to whiten teeth both mechanically and chemically.
How it keeps enamel safe
Unlike the whitening strips or other OTC whitening products, this whitening toothpaste is fluoridated which means it has fluoride. The fluoride will help keep your enamel safe by negating some of the enamel damage from whitening the whitening process.
What happens when you brush with it:
- The peroxide will cause mild demineralization of the enamel.
- However, the fluoride will help remineralize the demineralized enamel.
Essentially, the toothpaste will neutralize the acidic damage to your enamel from the whitening. As you can imagine if you were brushing with only peroxide and no fluoride, you would be missing out on the remineralization component.
How it freshens breath
Brushing with the optic white advanced toothpaste will freshen your breath because of the anti-tartar ingredients, fluoride, and hydrogen peroxide.
Breath freshening agents:
- Anti-tartar agents. There are 3 types of pyrophosphates in this toothpaste which prevents the plaque from turning into hard tartar. This will keep your breath fresher because there will be less bacteria stuck to your enamel.
- Fluoride. This isn’t spoken about too commonly but fluoride is toxic to bacteria, meaning it does have antibacterial properties.
- Peroxide. Yes, this is the primary teeth whitening agent but it is also an antiseptic. In case you forgot, those brown bottles of peroxide have the same ingredient as this toothpaste! Essentially it will kill bacteria in your mouth while you’re brushing with this paste.
In our opinion the advantage to using this dentifrice is that it also has an additional antimicrobial property due to the hydrogen peroxide content. Less bacteria in your mouth will equate to a fresher smelling breath. You’re literally killing bacteria as you’re brushing with it.
How it causes sensitivity
A common side effect of teeth whitening is teeth sensitivity and since this is a whitening toothpaste, some discomfort is to be expected. According to the American Dental Association, if there is sensitivity, it will usually resolve within 4-5 days after stopping treatment.
The culprit of the discomfort is due to the peroxide whitening agent. After all it is an acid and it diffuses through your enamel and can even reach the pulp.
With that being said, I’ve yet to experience any sensitivity while using the colgate advanced toothpaste but this side effect is listed on the box label. It is a valid precaution and just because I didn’t experience any of it, it doesn’t mean that you won’t. Everyone’s tolerance and sensitivity level will be different.
Verdict
Overall I think the colgate optic white advanced whitening toothpaste is a solid whitening toothpaste that can be used on a daily basis.
The peroxide allows it to chemically oxidize deeply embedded tooth stains which non-peroxide whitening toothpastes cannot do. If you didn’t know, I’m telling it to you now that most whitening toothpastes don’t even have peroxide in them!
How it compares to the other optic white toothpastes
As far as I know, colgate’s optic white line has 3 different toothpastes with peroxide in it.
- Pro series toothpaste (5% peroxide)
- Renewal toothpaste (3% peroxide)
- Advanced whitening toothpaste (2% peroxide)
I actually really like the advanced whitening toothpaste because I feel like it is gentle enough to be used on a daily basis. When I used the pro series toothpaste, I did find that my gums would get bleached white occasionally. It wasn’t that it was uncomfortable or anything but it does make you wonder about whether it can be used long term.
Nonetheless, I think this is a worthwhile toothpaste to use because once again, there aren’t that many toothpastes with peroxide in it. You can scour the internet but your options are fairly limited to begin with.
Therefore, if you want something that can actually whiten your teeth, look no further than the optic white line of toothpastes. We also did a comparison with this toothpaste and the renewal in case you needed extra help in making a decision.