The best teeth whitening kits you can buy

If the idea of putting charcoal in your mouth or resting a tray on your teeth doesn't sound appealing, Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips are an effective, dentist-recommended way to get whiter teeth.

The Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips kit comes with 40 strips for 20 treatments (each treatment consists of a strip on the upper teeth and one on the lower teeth.) You are supposed to wear the strips for half an hour once per day.

Crest's "Advanced Seal Technology" offers a no-slip grip, which allows you to drink water and talk while wearing the strips. Crest claims that after the 20 daily treatments, you can remove 14 years of tooth stains. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the active ingredients in the Whitestrips.

Insider Picks interviewed professional dentist Dr. Neil Hadaegh DDS to get his recommendations for the best whitening products. He recommended Crest's strips because of the lower hydrogen peroxide levels of about 10%, which should be entirely safe.

Lastly, Good Housekeeping rated the Crest 3D Whitestrips as the winner in its tooth whitener test because of its easy application and excellent results.

The Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips has more than 6,500 reviewers on Amazon. Buyers report that they see impressive results in as few as five treatments.

There are several tips from users who have used these strips for a while. For example, you should not let the strips rest on your gums, or you will experience irritation. Also, avoid brushing your teeth before using the strips to reduce the chance of tooth sensitivity.

Pros: Produces results in four or five uses, recommended by dentists, low peroxide levels

Cons: May irritate the gums or cause tooth sensitivity

Buy the Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips on Amazon for $38.99 (20 treatments)

Why you'll love it: If you have a little extra money to spend and want unparalleled white teeth, the GLO Science Brilliant Personal Teeth Whitening Device is the best fit for you.

The GLO Science Brilliant Personal Teeth Whitening Device comes with a travel bag, USB power plug, charging dock, 10 G-Vials of whitening gel, lip care balm, mouthpiece, case, and a controller.

The first step of the process is to apply the lip balm and brush a little of the whitening gel onto the front of your teeth. You then activate the controller and insert the mouthpiece into your mouth. The Guided Light Optics (GLO) technology uses heat and light to provide accelerated whitening.

After eight minutes, the light then turns off. For best results, you are supposed to do this four times a day for three to five days. The whitening gel has hydrogen peroxide as an active ingredient.

Beautylish tested the GLO Science whitening system and published a glowing review. They commented that while it was not cheap, the kit produced noticeable results after three days of use, and there were no sensitivity issues.

Insider Picks reporter Mara Leighton also got to test out the Whitening Device. Mara has tried a number of whitening products, and she confessed this was the best at-home system she had ever used. She found the GLO Science Brilliant kit was able to get a level of white that other options were unable to attain.

Amazon no longer sells the product, but when it did, there was a fair amount of buyer's remorse. Customers expected the product to achieve a more intense white than it did. On the flip side, there were also some verified purchasers who had experience with Crest Whitestrips and found the GLO Science system did a better job.

Pros: Few reports of sensitivity issues, only requires five uses

Cons: Expensive

Buy the GLO Science Brilliant Personal Teeth Whitening Device from Sephora for $199 Buy the GLO Science GLO Brilliant Gels Refills 7 Pack from Sephora for $54

The Miswak Club Natural Teeth Whitening Kit is your best alternative if the idea of putting chemicals in your mouth is unappealing.

Teeth-cleaning sticks known as Miswak have been used for thousands of years in what is now Pakistan, India, many African countries, and other parts of the world. And, a meta-analysis in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine found that the Miswak was just as effective for oral hygiene as the toothbrush and toothpaste used by Western cultures.

The Miswak Club Natural Teeth Whitening Kit features two Miswak root sticks with two carrying cases. Each stick will last for three weeks of daily use. Miswak comes from the Arak tree, and this product contains no pesticides or chemicals. Miswak Club offers a 120-day money-back guarantee if you do not have noticeably whiter teeth after using their kit.

Several expert sites reviewed the Miswak Club kit because of the novelty of it. Bustle liked that it comes with two sticks in the kit, doesn't make a mess, and is easy to bring along when traveling. Subaholic found that the root works great, but thought the taste was terrible. And, Apartment Therapy was put off by the "sweetly musky" smell of the root but found that when you soak it in water with some peppermint oil, it is much more bearable.

The Miswak Club Natural Teeth Whitening Kit has positive ratings from 86% of the reviewers (4 and 5 stars) on Amazon. Most of the buyers commented on how it is useful in place of a toothbrush. They found it does a great job of cleaning one's teeth. But when it comes to whitening, it may take a few weeks of daily use to notice effects. Also, buyers reported that the smell is off-putting, as did other reviewers.

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to use, no added chemicals

Cons: Takes some getting used to, smells weird

Buy the Miswak Club Natural Teeth Whitening Kit on Amazon for $15.99