Purple Strips and Serums Don't Whiten, They Paint
The violet film from color correcting strips and serums cancels yellow optically. It is paint, not bleach. Here is how it works and how teewai catches it.
Purple strips and serums don't whiten, they paint. The violet film cancels yellow optically. It is the same trick as purple shampoo for blonde hair. These products do not bleach your teeth. The effect fades as the film wears off.
Violet sits opposite yellow on the color wheel. Complementary colors cancel each other to the eye. When you apply a purple film to a yellow tooth, the violet reflects and swallows the yellow undertones. Your teeth look lighter. But nothing changed.
The scratch test
Scratch the film off and the yellow is still there. The purple coating painted your teeth white. It did not bleach them. The yellow undertone never moved.
Color correcting strips and serums contain no peroxide or carbamide. The active ingredient is a violet dye. It sits on the surface of your enamel and shifts the apparent color. There is no chemical whitening happening. The stain is still there. The film just hides it.
The effect fades as the film wears off through eating, drinking and brushing. Your teeth return to their natural shade. Nothing was whitened. The yellow was there the whole time, painted over.
How teewai catches it
teewai scans detect the violet cast from color correcting products. When we see it, we flag the scan and exclude it from your progress. Your shade reading would be distorted. We always give you your true shade.
If you want real whitening, you need a product with peroxide or carbamide. Those agents penetrate the enamel and break down stain molecules. Color correcting products do not do this. They are cosmetic paint, not whitening treatment.
There is nothing wrong with using color correcting strips for a quick cosmetic boost before a photo or an event. Just know what you are getting. It is paint, not a treatment. Your true shade is what matters for tracking your progress. teewai gives you that, every time.
See where you sit on the VITA scale — scan your smile with teewai.