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Let's face it. Some of the most addictive beverages and habits are not the best for our pearly whites. Fortunately, if you want white teeth, you don't have to say goodbye to coffee, soda, sweets, tea, wine, and smoking because there are many teeth whitening kits to choose from (we still recommend that you kick the smoking habit for obvious reasons).
Teeth whitening is a $3.2 billion worldwide industry. Consequently, there are thousands of options out there, including expensive services at your dentist's office. Thankfully, if you want to save money, there are several effective kits that you can use at home.
There are essentially two types of kits: ones that bleach your teeth to take stains off and ones that physical scrape off the stains. Activated charcoal powders have become quite popular in recent years. They are applied with a toothbrush and scrape stains off. Whitening trays and strips have been the standard for decades and generally rely on carbamide or hydrogen peroxide.
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There is a third type of teeth whitening product that simply blasts your teeth with LED light. However, experts interviewed by the Wirecutter say any gains from this treatment are short-lived. Only the GLO Brilliant system in our guide uses this technology, but it is used in conjunction with a whitening gel.
A few warnings about teeth whitening kits
Peroxide is effective, but it comes with several warnings. Pregnant or nursing women should not use peroxide-based whitening products. It also isn't for children under fourteen years old. And, you should not use peroxide for longer than two weeks of daily use without the supervision of a dentist.
The FDA does not recommend using any whitening gels with a peroxide concentration of higher than 18%. Two of the kits we recommend use peroxide (Crest Whitestrips and GLO Brilliant), but they should be safe for most people.
You need to be careful using whitening products, as Consumer Reports explains. Always consult with your dentist before starting a course of treatment. For instance, if your darkened teeth are due to the natural thinning of tooth enamel that comes with aging, whitening kits will not help you. Also, they cannot whiten fillings, dentures, veneers, crowns, or caps.
Experts say that whitening kits are safe when used as directed. However, gum irritation and tooth sensitivity are common side effects even when you follow the directions. Therefore, about a week before you start your whitening regimen, use a toothpaste specifically designed for people with sensitive teeth or one that builds up enamel. And, skip a day or two of use if you do experience sensitivity.
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We undertook hours of research combing through both consumer and expert reviews and ratings before settling on the whitening kits we've included in this guide. Each of the teeth whitening kits we feature in the following slides are effective, easy to use, and unlikely to irritate your teeth or gums.
Here are the best teeth whitening kits you can buy:
Updated on 05/03/2019 by Les Shu: Updated links, formatting, and prices. Removed our budget option from Utilax as it is no longer available nor recommended. However, both our best overall and best natural picks are affordable options.
Keep scrolling to read more details about our top picks.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
If you are looking for an alternative to chemical whitening treatments, the Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder is an excellent choice that shows results after a few treatments.
The three main ingredients of the Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder are charcoal powder, bentonite, and orange seed oil. The powder is made from organic coconut activated charcoal powder. It pulls stains from your teeth using an "adsorption" process. The high mineral content of the bentonite remineralizes your teeth. And, the orange seed oil is added for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
To use the powder, you simply dip a wet toothbrush (we do not recommend using an electric brush) into the powder and brush the front of your teeth for a minute or two. Then, rinse thoroughly. You only need a little bit of the powder for each brushing, which makes this product a great value. The Active Wow Charcoal Powder comes in six flavors, including natural, cinnamon, orange, and peppermint.
One of my Insider Picks colleagues at Business Insider received a test unit of the Charcoal Powder, and she noticed an impressive difference after just a few uses. Though, she noted that there was not an immediate change like you might experience from one of the bleaching products out there, such as strips.
The Active Wow Teeth Whitening Charcoal Powder has 4.2-star (out of 5) rating on Amazon. The most helpful reviews on Amazon show clear evidence of the product's effectiveness with before and after pictures.
However, there are a few complaints about how messy it is. One user recommended brushing in the shower since you can easily rinse the area off when you're done. Another minor issue is that it takes a bit of work to get all of the tiny charcoal particles out of your teeth.
Pros: Dramatic results after just a few uses, short application time, doesn't make teeth sensitive
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
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
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
