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Whether it's due to coffee, wine, or poor oral hygiene, the color of your teeth may fade from a bright sparkling white to a dull yellow. Luckily, using a teeth whitening product is something simple that you can do at home.
"When you choose to whiten at home, you're choosing to take a slow and steady approach to whitening, which translates to less side effects, such as tooth sensitivity," says New York-based cosmetic dentist Edward Alvarez, DDS. "You’ll also have a healthier mouth overall because you’re using products that will increase the pH of your mouth for a sustained period of time, ultimately killing bacteria and lessening decay."
These days, there are so many teeth whitening products on the market that the very idea of brightening your smile can become more overwhelming than exciting. Should you invest in teeth whitening kits or trays? Toothpaste or gel? Strips or pens?
With the number of options available, the process can be challenging for consumers, says California-based cosmetic dentist Sarah Jebreil, DDS. To start, decide which type of teeth whitening treatment suits your needs:
Whitening toothpaste contains polishing or chemical agents designed to improve tooth appearance by removing surface stains, as well as lightening the color of your teeth below the surface.
Whitening strips are made of flexible plastic that mold to the teeth, and the whitening formula they contain breaks down and oxidizes into the teeth to whiten them.
Whitening pens contain high-quality teeth whitening gel, and their ease of application makes them one of the more convenient teeth whitening options. Whitening lights are used in tandem with a specially formulated gel to help speed up the whitening process.
Whitening trays are an effective method of whitening, but experts recommend using custom-fitted mouth trays made by your dentist. “If they aren’t fitted properly, the tooth whitening gel can leak out of the trays,” says Toronto-based endodontist Gary Glassman, DDS. If you do decide on an OTC method, avoid putting too much gel in the trays so as to not burn your gums.
Once it’s time to scour the drugstore for your desired whitening treatment, make sure the product you choose has earned a seal of approval from the American Dental Association. "What a lot of people don’t realize is that anything placed in the mouth penetrates the mucous membranes and is readily absorbed by the body, so you want to make sure the chemicals you’re putting in your body are safe," Jebreil says.
It’s also important that the product contains either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, the active ingredients necessary to remove surface and underlying stains — but no more than 10 percent or 35 percent, respectively, Jebreil warns. Anything higher than these levels can do serious damage to the tissues in your mouth and are only recommended for professional use.
With these guidelines in mind, here are the best teeth whitening products to try according to dental pros.
Crest 3D Glamorous White Whitestrips
If you're happy to devote 30 minutes a day to a highly effective treatment, try Crest Whitestrips. They contain enamel-safe ingredients that don't cause sensitivity during wear, and they're the only whitening strips that have a seal of approval from the American Dental Association. They're easy to use, comfortable to wear, and yield excellent results for an OTC teeth whitening treatment, says Dovi Prero, board-certified orthodontist and member of the California Association of Orthodontists.
GLO Brilliant Teeth Whitening Device Kit
This whitening kit claims to get your smile five shades whiter in less than one week without sensitivity. The mouthpiece illuminates with a vibrant blue LED light and gently warms to amplify the brand’s specially formulated whitening gel for a whiter, brighter smile, Rozenberg says. Best of all, the applications only require eight minutes at a time.
Miswak Club Natural Teeth Whitening Kit
Who knew you could chew your way to whiter teeth?! If you're turned off by strips, pastes, and washes, consider these teeth whitening sticks by Miswak Club. The sticks are taken from an Arak tree that's grown in healthy soil and free from chemicals or pesticides, making them a great alternative to other agents. They have over 1,500 perfect reviews on Amazon, and there's no other whitening product like it.
Supersmile Teeth Whitening Kit
As far as teeth whitening kits go, Supersmile's 6 Minutes to a Whiter Smile kit is tough to beat because it safely whitens and re-mineralizes teeth, including dental restorations (bonding, caps, veneers, and dentures), says New York-based prosthodontist Bijan Gohari, DMD. This kit is also 75 percent less abrasive than the limit set by the American Dental Association, so you won't have to worry about teeth sensitivity rearing its ugly molars.
Philips Sonicare Single Whitening Touch-Up Pen
Prefer a portable whitener? Philips Sonicare whitening pens are a highly effective method of teeth whitening, Glassman says. “Not only do they contain high-quality teeth whitening gel, but they offer the most convenience and ease of application.”
They're also more effective than strips, Glassman adds, because they have a silicone rubber tip that can penetrate the enamel, allowing for the whitening gel to work on all layers of your teeth.
Pearly Girl Vegan Tarte Teeth Whitening Pen
Free of triclosan, synthetic fragrances, soy, dairy, and artificial flavors, this dermatologist-tested teeth whitening pen brightens your smile without harmful chemicals. You'll get a patented calcium complex work to clear up stains and dark spots, all while protecting tooth enamel. And the easy, no-mess gel can be tossed in your gym bag, car, or purse, for an instant refresher while you're on the go.
Burts Bees Activated Charcoal for Whitening
Made with a combination of activated coconut charcoal, sodium bicarbonate, and bentonite clay, this whitening powder is non-abrasive and gently lifts stains from your teeth. In addition to giving you a star smile, the natural ingredients are anti-bacterial and anti-fungal to protect the growth of bacteria, fungi, and infection inside of your mouth. The best part? It has a touch of stevia extract for a slightly sweet taste.
Eco-Dent Extra Brite Tooth Whitener
From cleaning to cooking and healing, the uses of baking soda are endless. Added to its list of roles is teeth whitening. Combined with sea salt and peroxide, this baking-soda-based powder by Eco-Dent cleans up your smile for sparkling teeth.
Jason Natural Powersmile Whitening Toothpaste
If you prefer whitening toothpaste, make sure it doesn't contain any harsh abrasives or irritating chemicals, like this Jason Natural Powersmile Whitening Toothpaste.“Otherwise, you lose healthy enamel, which can make your teeth yellower and possibly more sensitive in the long run,” says Hugh Flax, DDS, of Flax Dental in Atlanta The toothpaste contains gentle ingredients like bamboo powder and baking soda to prevent tartar buildup while whitening and brightening your smile.
Opalescence Whitening Toothpaste
This gentle, whitening toothpaste doesn’t just remove stains—it also helps in the fight against cavities and tooth decay, says Victoria Veytsman, DDS, of Cosmetic Dental Studios in Manhattan. If you have temperamental teeth, there’s a special version of the toothpaste that contains potassium nitrate for sensitivity relief. Basically, this is the superhero your mouth needs.
Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder
Using charcoal as a teeth whitener sounds counterintuitive, but hear us out: The charcoal is abrasive, so it will remove any buildup and external stains, while serving as a little magnet to pull out the deeper ones, too.
"An added benefit is that the charcoal will serve to raise the pH in your mouth, which can help protect your teeth from cavities since they’re formed by acids on your teeth," Alvarez says. Use food-grade activated charcoal made from coconut or bamboo, he suggests. Certified organic is a plus.
Wet your toothbrush, dip it into the charcoal and lightly brush your teeth—again, charcoal is abrasive, so if you brush too hard it can damage or dull both your enamel and any dental restorations you may have. Keep rinsing your mouth until the water runs clear, then brush your teeth with your regular toothpaste.
Omega Nutrition Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar contains about 5 percent acetic acid, which serves to break down tartar and calculus (that hard, yellow gunk stuck between your lower teeth), Alvarez says. It's similar to the acidic solutions dentists use to get tartar and stains off of dentures and mouth guards.
A word of caution, though: Use too much of it, and it will start to break down your enamel and make you more susceptible to cavities. Rinse your mouth with it no more than once a week, Alvarez recommends, then lightly brush with your toothpaste after you've rinsed.
Sensodyne True White Toothpaste
Mastering how to whiten teeth when they're super-sensitive can be a tricky business. Fortunately, Sensodyne True White is 10 times less abrasive than many leading whitening toothpastes. The low-abrasion formula gently lifts stains from the surface of teeth, while also providing active stain protection that works to create a protective shield to help prevent new stains from sticking to the tooth's surface.
Go Smile Super White Snap Packs
This teeth whitening system is super-easy to use, and is one of the best gel whitening treatments, says Lana Rozenberg, DDS, a New York-based cosmetic dentist. It comes in single-use applications to protect the potency of the formula until it’s applied — and once applied (the recommended dose is morning and night for seven days), it penetrates the surface to whiten teeth without sensitivity.
Hello Activated Charcoal Whitening Toothpaste
"Charcoal toothpaste is very abrasive and not meant to be used often — or with a heavy hand — because it can wear away enamel, but it’s great at prepping the teeth prior to a whitening treatment," Jebreil says. Using the toothpaste and flossing it between teeth prior to putting on strips can deep clean your teeth and help the whitening formula penetrate better.
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