A Toothpaste That Stands Up to #Momlife Essentials Coffee and Red Wine? Put to the Test with Real Results!
This post is sponsored by Amanda Tolman and AT’s All About That Paste. All opinions are my own.
You know how kids can instinctively sense your vulnerability? Like grabbing your tummy squish and asking if you’re having another baby? I had one of those moments with Easton a few weeks ago.
I had already been feeling self-conscious about the whiteness (or decided lack thereof) of my teeth. I was noticing it in photos, especially those dreaded selfies (that I’ll never get used to taking but sometimes you just need a quick pic for the ‘Gram.)
I know it’s because I’ve increased my coffee consumption markedly over the past year. I wasn’t always a coffee drinker but once you get started, it’s hard to stop. One cup turned into two cups turned into continuous sipping from 8:30 AM until 3 PM (not coincidentally, my regular work hours).
So when Easton innocently asked me: “Mom, why are your teeth yellow, not white?” — it hit where it hurt. That was the nudge (or gut punch) I needed to try something new.
I had been hearing a lot of buzz about “the paste” — AP 24 Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste by Nu Skin. I had seen some impressive before-and-after pics online. The marketing seemed made for busy moms life myself: Helps with coffee and red wine stains! Easy and not messy! Brush twice a day as usual — nothing else required!
Well, based on the coffee-and-red wine promise alone, sign me up. During the month of April, I put “the paste” to the test: using it twice a day exactly according to package directions (more on that in a minute) and taking photos at the 2-week, 3-week, and 1-month mark to compare.
Note: Pictures below are unfiltered and unedited to show my real results — which is why I look a hot mess in most of these. There’s a reason we all filter on Instagram, am I right?
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Keep reading for all the details of my 30-day experiment!
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The Taste
I was admittedly concerned about the taste and mouthfeel of the product. I’ve tried many toothpastes over the years. The natural ones with baking soda are gritty and don’t leave my mouth feeling fresh; I always assumed that was because their lack of chemicals. I tried that activated charcoal toothpaste one time and one time was more than enough for me: The taste was awful and I looked like the Undead after brushing; plus my sink was black and messy AND I still had to brush with regular paste. I barely have time to brush my teeth twice a day — I definitely don’t have time to brush four times per day.
AP 24 has a mild, slightly sweet vanilla mint flavor that I love. It’s refreshing without being overpowering, and there’s never any of the burn during or afterward that you sometimes find with other toothpastes. The paste has the smoothness of a gel combined with the creamy lather of a paste when brushing, the perfect combination in my opinion (I typically prefer a gel toothpaste but find that a traditional paste works better). There was nothing to dread about using AP 24 the way there was with other options — it tastes and feels great.
If you’re interested in how the paste compares to other “Facebook-sold” DIY whitening toothpastes, including the popular Young Living Thieves essential oil paste and the charcoal paste I mentioned earlier, check out a Consumer Expert segment on a local news affiliate:
The Ingredients
Of utmost importance to me, AP 24 is a fluoride toothpaste. I have had more cavities in my lifetime than I care to share (or count). Any toothpaste I use must have fluoride in it, and this one does — sodium monofluorophosphate if you want to be specific, which is approved to fight cavities.
OK, that criteria down. Next, the mouth feel. The product gets its name from its plaque-fighting ingredient, AP 24. AP 24 is medical-grade dimethicone and surfactants, the combination responsible for the slick, clean feeling that’s left in your mouth after brushing. I found the paste to be extremely palatable, and I liked how smooth my teeth felt after brushing. The clean feeling lasted through my morning cups of coffee and snacks.
Finally, the whitening ingredients. AP 24 is not peroxide based, meaning that it does not bleach your teeth and will not make your teeth whiter than they are naturally. Instead, AP 24 uses a combination of mild abrasives (hydrated silica and aluminum hydroxide, if you want to get technical) to polish your teeth and remove stains. It restores your teeth to their own natural (lighter) color without the staining or darkening that results from food or drinks.
The lack of peroxide in the paste means that it’s gentle enough for long-term, everyday use, safe for pregnant and nursing women, and kids age 6 and older. It also means that there is no sensitivity associated with whitening. As a prior white strips product user, I always gave up before completing the regime due to pain and sensitivity.
The Technique
To use AP-24 whitening fluoride toothpaste effectively, dry brushing is recommended. For some reason, the thought of dry brushing was off-putting to me at first. It seemed like it would be uncomfortable or even painful. Wouldn’t my gums be sore?
The basics of dry-brushing are simple: Apply a pea-sized amount of the paste to a dry toothbrush and brush for 2 minutes as usual. Water dilutes the ingredients in the paste, so dry-brushing ensures the most potent and effective application of the powerful ingredients.
After just a couple of times dry-brushing, I was totally hooked. It seems exponentially easier and less messy to use a dry brush than to take the extra step to wet the toothbrush. And as the company notes, you truly do have more than enough saliva in your mouth for brushing. It never feels dry and it doesn’t hurt your gums. I used my Sonicare electric toothbrush and had no issues whatsoever.
After you brush, simply rinse as you would normally. (You don’t leave the paste on after brushing.) Easy, right?
One thing that will keep me coming back to the paste is the ease of use. There are no trays or strips to mess around with. There’s no weird drooling from sitting around with stuff in your mouth for 10 or 30 minutes at a time. You just (dry) brush, rinse, go — and watch your teeth whiten.
The Results
I’m not a professional, so I don’t know how to quantify my tooth-whitening results for you. I don’t know how many shades whiter they are (sorry, no dental tool at my disposal here), or what percentage. A stain reduction test performed by Nu Skin found an average 63 percent increase in tooth brightness. The report from the Consumer Expert segment on the news found three shades difference. Do my teeth look three shades or 63 percent brighter? I think they look at least two shades brighter but I’ll let you be the judge.
I’ll tell you that I am thrilled with the results of the paste and I’ll continue to be a user after this tube is empty. (Good news here: The tube lasts 2 to 3 months for the average single user, because you use such a small amount for each brushing.) I noticed visible results on my own smile after just a week of use, and the results after one month are exactly what I was hoping — a rejuvenated, younger-looking smile that doesn’t betray the amount of coffee being consumed behind the scenes.
Most importantly, the results of the paste are natural. Of course, I want a sparkling, beautiful smile. But I don’t want teeth that are so blindingly bright that they start to look bluish. Because there’s no peroxide in AP 24 toothpaste, there’s no danger of scary-white Barbie doll teeth; my teeth will continue to be polished and smoothed to their natural white color rather than overbleached and eroded. I’ll post an update after 60 days of use to check in!
Interested in putting AP 24 Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste to your own test? Check out the All About That Paste private Facebook group for more information, client results, specials and more. There are some promotions coming up in May you won’t want to miss! Or connect with Amanda directly by email or on Instagram; she ships nationwide and I received my paste by mail in just two days.
So that’s it: All about that paste and then some. If you have any other questions, drop a comment below, email me, or connect with me on social media. I hope you’ll follow along with my daily #momlife on Instagram and Pinterest for more ideas and inspiration to live your best life.
