Retardex Toothpaste and Oral Rinse

I’m someone who really loves that Hollywood smile.  I think there’s nothing more appealing than brilliant white teeth and as a consequence I’m always on a hunt for things that’ll help me achieve this.  However, I drink lots of coffee, lots of coke and I’m also a filthy smoker, so I don’t make my quest for brilliant white teeth any easier on myself.

Having said that, I don’t think my teeth show particularly bad signs of staining.  I certainly don’t have anywhere near brilliant white teeth, but I wouldn’t say they’re terrible either.  I’m a real pedant when it comes to oral hygiene and it’s something I’m happy to spend money on.  I use a Sonicare three times a day and I always follow up with a mouth wash.  I also do my best to floss with flossing sticks, although I’ll happily admit to being a bit rubbish at flossing regularly.  I’ve tried so many different types of whitening products and I’ve only come across a few that work.

I’ve been using Retardex for several months and have been meaning to review it for a while.  I was originally sent a sample to try, but by the time I was ready to review it it looked like this:

I’ve since purchased a new tube and thought I’d share my thoughts on it.  The first thing I’ll say about this toothpaste is that it is by no means a quick fix; it’s non-abrasive and very gentle, so the results are very gradual. If I’m honest, I struggled to notice any difference until recently and it was only other people who kept asking me if I’d had my teeth whitened that made me think this was doing a better job than I initially assessed.

It’s worth noting that the dominant selling point of this toothpaste isn’t it’s whitening ability, but more specifically it’s formulated to break down the molecules in your mouth that cause bad breath.  It’s also aimed to strengthen teeth and is suitable for sensitive teeth.

What’s really interesting about this is the fact that it doesn’t foam.  I actually much prefer this as I feel like overly foamy toothpastes get in the way of the brushing.  Certainly when I’m using this with my Sonicare I can feel the toothpaste moving through the gaps in my teeth which feels very similar to the cleaning process administered by a hygienist.

Unfortunately I didn’t take pictures of the Oral Rinse, but it comes unflavoured with a sachet of mint that you can add yourself.  I like being given this choice as I really don’t like strong tasting mouthwashes and not everyone likes synthetic fruit or mint tasting breath!  Therefore I used this without the added mint flavouring as I prefer it to taste this way.  It’s difficult to assess whether it’s made any difference to my oral health or not, but it’s a good mouthwash and I’ll continue to use it.

Speaking of flavour, the toothpaste is mint flavoured but it’s very gentle so you’re left with a very subtle taste of mint rather than anything overpowering.  As a good, daily toothpaste this is something I’m sticking with as my teeth always feel clean after use, it’s kept my teeth looking whiter and the lack of foam really appeals to me.  I’ll leave you to judge whether you think it’s whitened my teeth or not, but one thing I think the pictures do demonstrate is that my teeth definitely look a lot brighter; in the before pictures my teeth have a slight grey tinge that appears to be gone in the after pictures.

This isn’t the cheapest toothpaste around, but Boots often run deals on it and I’m a fan of toothpaste that seems to gently and effectively keep my teeth bright and clean, so I’m sticking with it.

Retardex toothpaste costs £8.12 here at Boots and the Oral Rinse is £6.12 also from Boots here.

*PR Sample