Lumineux 2-in-1 Whitening Pen (1 Pack) Enamel Safe and Clinically Proven to Whiten Without The Sensitivity - Removes Coffee, Tea, and Smoking Stains
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Anyone who&#;s undergone professional teeth whitening treatments knows how expensive and time-consuming the service can be. Professional treatments typically cost over $200 and appointments can last 90 minutes or longer. Thankfully, many oral care brands offer more cost-effective, over-the-counter teeth whitening treatments you can use at home. Experts say they aren&#;t as strong as in-office treatments, but they can tackle minor discoloration if used correctly and consistently.
Below, I talked to two dentists about what you can expect from at-home teeth whitening treatments and how to shop for them. I also rounded up our favorite options from brands like Crest, Colgate and Burt's Bees.
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With expert guidance in mind, I rounded up a handful of at-home teeth whitening products across types and price points. I included options with the ADA Seal of Acceptance, those NBC Select staff members have tried themselves, NBC Select Wellness Award Winners and other highly rated treatments I think you should know about.
If you have sensitive teeth, I recommend Lumineux&#;s whitening strips since they don&#;t contain peroxides or bleaches that can be painful for those with sensitive teeth, according to the brand. The strips are made with coconut oil, sage oil, lemon peel oil and dead sea salt, natural ingredients that help lift stains off teeth, according to Lumineux. One box contains 42 teeth whitening strips, which is enough for 21 treatments. I notice a difference in the shade of my teeth when I use these whitening strips as directed for 30 minutes a day and I frequently repurchase them.
Type: strips | Application time: 30 mins.
Crest makes a few different types of whitening strips, including its Sensitive variety, which is one of the only ADA-accepted options on the market. One box comes with 36 strips, which is enough for 18 30-minute treatments. The strips are made with hydrogen peroxide and have a non-slip grip that helps them stick to teeth.
Type: strips | Application time: 30 mins.
Opalescence Go Teeth Whitening Trays come prefilled with a minty gel that contains 10% hydrogen peroxide. The trays are single-use and flexible, allowing them to conform to your teeth and the shape of your mouth, according to the brand. Treatments last 30 to 60 minutes.
Type: trays | Application time: 30 to 60 mins.
Nu Skin&#;s AP 24 Toothpaste, an NBC Select Wellness Award winner, is formulated with gentle abrasives to remove surface stains from teeth and brighten their appearance, according to the brand. The fluoridated toothpaste, which comes in a 4-ounce tube, has a neutral vanilla mint flavor. It also contains sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), an ingredient found in many toothpastes that acts as a detergent for your teeth, as explained by experts in our guide to the best toothpastes. I tried Nu Skin&#;s toothpaste and prefer its thicker, smoother texture to most thinner, gel-like options. Plus, it doesn&#;t irritate my sometimes sensitive teeth.
Type: toothpaste | Application time: 2 mins.
This ADA-approved whitening toothpaste from Burt&#;s Bees is formulated with hydrated silica to help remove surface stains from teeth, according to the brand. The toothpaste has a minty flavor and comes in a 4.7-ounce tube.
Type: toothpaste | Application time: 2 mins.
ACT&#;s Whitening + Anticavity mouthwash uses hydrogen peroxide and fluoride to brighten your teeth and prevent cavities, while leaving out alcohol and dyes, according to the brand. The mint-flavored wash comes in a 16.9-fluid-ounce bottle and has a 4.5-star average rating from over 6,300 reviews on Amazon.
Type: mouthwash | Application time: 2 mins.
This kit comes with a flexible LED whitening light that molds to the shape of your teeth, providing uniform coverage, according to the brand. It&#;s powered by your &#; you plug the device&#;s cable into an Apple or Android smartphone, and you can continue to use your during 10 minute treatments. The kit comes with a whitening pen filled with hydrogen peroxide gel that you brush over your teeth before using the light. Colgate recommends using the kit once a day for 10 days to see the best results. When I used the kit as directed, my teeth looked noticeably brighter.
Type: LED light | Application time: 10 mins.
If you&#;d rather use a rechargeable, wireless whitening light, Auraglow&#;s kit comes with a battery-powered tray that has built-in LED lights to help activate the included carbamide peroxide whitening gel. You squeeze the gel into the tray before placing it in your mouth and turning the device on to start a 30 minute treatment. The light &#; which has a 4.1-star average rating from over 44,450 reviews on Amazon &#; comes with a charging case and cable.
Type: LED light | Application time: 30 mins.
Colgate offers a whitening pen filled with hydrogen peroxide gel, which is safe for daily use and sensitive teeth, according to the brand. Its lid is connected to a little brush, allowing you to precisely apply the quick-dry gel to each tooth. You leave the gel on overnight and brush it off in the morning.
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Type: pen | Application time: overnight
Everyone&#;s teeth are different, so finding a whitening treatment that works for you will likely involve some trial and error, says Dr. Ilona Casellini, the founder of and a dentist at Swiss Quality Smile in Los Angeles, California. Pay attention to how your teeth react to different products, specifically noting which ones lighten tooth color the best with the least amount of sensitivity.
While shopping for at-home teeth whitening treatments, experts recommend considering the following factors.
The teeth whitening treatment you choose is dependent on your preferences and your dentist's recommendations. Below, I outline different options:
Frequently asked questions
Tooth stains can occur on the interior and exterior of teeth. Those inside the teeth can result from aging or some genetic disorders, while exterior surface stains are usually associated with tobacco use and the consumption of pigmented food and drinks like coffee, red wine and dark fruits, says Casellini.
Whitening products tackle tooth discoloration differently depending on whether they&#;re targeting interior or exterior stains, but most rely in part on bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. During treatments, these active ingredients penetrate enamel, seep into interior tooth tissues and lighten tooth color from the inside out, according to the ADA.
One of the biggest differences between teeth whiteners is the concentration of the active ingredients they&#;re formulated with, experts told us. The higher the concentration of the active ingredient and the longer it&#;s left on the teeth, the more effective the whitener typically is. But with higher concentrations of active ingredients comes concerns like tooth sensitivity and gum irritation. That&#;s why dentists are able to use whiteners with higher concentrations of active ingredients in their offices &#; professionals know how to whiten teeth based on your sensitivity level while protecting other parts of your mouth.
Whitening products that target interior stains often have a higher concentration of active ingredients since a chemical reaction is required to reach deeper inside the teeth. Those that target exterior discoloration usually have a lower concentration of active ingredients and rely on mechanical interventions like brushing with a whitening toothpaste to scrub stains off the enamel surface, thus dulling their appearance.
Teeth whitening is not for everyone. People who are unhappy with the color of their teeth or want to match their natural teeth to a crown or bridge are the best candidates for whitening, says Casellini. On the other hand, people who have prosthetics like crowns, bridges or veneers that already match the color of and are located very close to their natural teeth should not whiten them. Doing so can result in mismatched tooth colors since the natural teeth will get lighter and the prosthetics will stay the same, she says.
In-office whitening treatments are the most effective option since they&#;re formulated with higher concentrations of active ingredients, experts told us. This is especially the case if you have discoloration from oral issues like cavities and tooth decay, which may make teeth turn a dark gray color that won&#;t go away with at-home whitening, says Messina. The same goes for other oral problems like plaque build-up or gum irritation.
With that being said, at-home teeth whitening products can help correct more surface-level tooth discoloration. However, it&#;s crucial that you use whitening products consistently. &#;Most people are not compliant at home and therefore do not get the results they are looking for,&#; says Casellini. &#;In-office bleaching is more effective because you get instant gratification. In one session, patients usually get one to two shades lighter and all they have to do is relax while the dentist does the work.&#;
Teeth whitening is safe overall. However, experts say it's important to talk to your dentist before starting a whitening treatment at home to make sure it&#;s a viable path for you, especially if you&#;ve experienced tooth or gum sensitivity in the past. If you can&#;t handle a higher concentration of whitening agents, your dentist can help you find a product that works best.
While whitening your teeth at home, pay attention to how you feel, especially if you&#;re trying something new. If at any point you notice sensitivity on your teeth or gums while using at-home whitening products, stop using the whitening product immediately and contact your dentist.
One way to ensure you&#;re whitening your teeth safely is to follow the product&#;s directions. &#;If it says 30 minutes, an hour isn&#;t better,&#; says Messina. &#;It may instead dramatically increase your tooth sensitivity, making it hard to handle cold things like ice cream or even water.&#;
Whether it&#;s dental care, skin care or hair care, anything used in excess can potentially cause damage. As far as at-home teeth whitening treatments, prolonged, continuous and incorrect use of bleaching products can be potentially harmful over time, says Casellini. &#;Even though at home bleaching products usually have a lower concentration of peroxide, if used excessively, it can cause your teeth to become dehydrated and brittle, not to mention overly sensitive,&#; she says. To prevent damage, follow a product&#;s directions exactly and limit how often you use at-home whitening products. Also be sure you follow a standard oral care routine that involves proper tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste, flossing and mouthwash.
Beware of beauty fads and do-it-yourself approaches to teeth whitening, experts told us. They have not been studied as extensively as professional treatments or over-the-counter options, and can have negative side effects like reducing teeth hardness or increasing sensitivity, according to the ADA. A common example is using charcoal toothpaste &#; the abrasiveness of the ingredients can remove the enamel from your teeth overtime, which Messina compares to sanding a floor. Other common DIY teeth whitening treatments include making pastes out of acidic fruits, vinegar and baking soda, as well as oil pulling, which involves swishing coconut oil in the mouth &#; these practices are not well-researched and are recommended against by the ADA and our experts.
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
I'm a reporter at NBC Select who writes about dental care, including stories on electric toothbrushes, toothpaste, whitening toothpaste, kid&#;s toothpaste, floss and water flossers. For this article, I interviewed two experts about how to shop for at-home teeth whitening treatments and rounded up products that align with their guidance.
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