Top Teeth Whitening Products Reviewed

I grew up as a brace-face. For three and a half long years, I was met with countless appointments, tightening, expanding, stretching, and rubber banding, leaving me with a sore mouth full of metal.

When I was finally released from the proverbial teeth prison, I have long since strived after obtaining the most radiantly white, glistening smile. This led me on my journey to try out the top rated teeth whitening products and report back with my findings.

To begin my journey, I had a talk with my dentist. Like most persons, I do have my vices that are forces working against the integrity of my teeth. I love black tea and wine, specifically. In talks with my dentist, she noted some important info:

• Sodas, sugary treats, and high acidity foods/ drinks will break down the integrity of your enamel.
• Dark drinks like coffee, teas, and wines stain your enamel, causing a yellowish tint.
• Grinding your teeth, or clenching your jaw can also cause the surface of teeth to break down and hurt the integrity of the teeth.
• Genetics will play a factor into how white your teeth can get with whitening products.
• Your teeth can only get so white before they won’t whiten anymore. This level of whiteness is different for everyone.

With this information in mind, I set out on my adventure of finding the best teeth whitening products. I scoured the internet, magazines, comparing review websites, and before and after pictures. I finally settled on the 4 products I would try.

Top Choice:

Smile Direct Club — Whitening Kit with LED Light

Smile Direct Club is most known for their teeth straightening services, sent direct to customers by mail, but they also have a line of teeth whitening products to suit all preferences.

While I only tested out the whitening pens with LED light kit, Smile Direct Club also has whitening strips, a daily teeth staining prevention pen, a touch up pen, and a Boost and Extend whitening set to make your pearly whites last longer.

The kit I bought came with 4 whitening gel pens and an LED light that plugs into your phone versus using any battery charge. The LED light came with adapters for the end, which can be used with USB C, micro USB, and lightening type ports.

The instructions said to use the whitening kit twice a day for a week for a smile that is up to 9 shades whiter, lasting up to 6 months. It seemed too good to be true.

While the pens aren’t very large, I have been able to several uses out of each one (around 8 uses). I enjoy being able to plug the LED light directly into my phone and not worry about keeping the device charged. The mouth piece fits comfortably in between the teeth, with a slim bite guard to prevent teeth from overlapping during the whitening process. However, the light does not have a timer, like others I have tried. While the recommend time is only 5 minutes, I often find myself distracted and will keep the device in my mouth for longer. Fortunately, it does not cause any discomfort or teeth sensitivities.

The instructions say to not rinse the teeth after whitening as the product continues to whiten the teeth throughout time. I did enjoy that there was not any residue left on my teeth afterward. There was no sticky, slimy, or other sensation. I couldn’t even tell that I had put anything on my teeth when I was finished! I was able to notice an immediate difference with the first use, and my smile continued to whiten throughout the week of use.

I’m rating this product my first choice for reasons of: price for product, ease of use, whitening ability, and overall perceived value. While there are some downsides to this product, they are few and far between.

Pros:

• Noticeable whitening after a few uses
• Simple to apply and use
• Product is small and comes with a portable case for travel
• Product pens last for several uses
• Comfortable in mouth with bite guard

Cons:

• LED light only fits USB C, micro USB, and lightening type ports
• No timer on the LED light
• Could be costly to buy refill pens ($24.64 for 4 pack of pens on Amazon)

This product is available either directly from the Smile Direct Club website, or on Amazon.

Runner Up:

Crest 3D Brilliance Two Step Whitening Kit

Crest has always been at the forefront of all things dental hygiene related. So it’s no surprise that Crest would continue to develop the market of teeth whitening with this easy, two step processes that is as simple as brushing your teeth.

Right off the bat, the Crest 3D White Brilliance 2 Step system get bonus points for ease of accessibility. It is found in most convenience stores in the toothpaste aisle, or online at various retailers. Crest claims this whitening system “Keeps your smile up to 99% as white as a Professional Polish*”

There are two tubes included in this 2 step whitening system. The first is a lightly abrasive toothpaste that “deep cleans” the teeth to remove plaque build up and anything that could get in the way of the whitening process. The second tube contains the whitening finisher.

I enjoyed how easily I could integrate this whitening system into my routine without having to carve out extra time in my day to sit and wait for the whitening system to do its thing. However, the product does not have that intense minty freshness of regular toothpaste, so I was left with wanting a fresher feeling after brushing. After using the whitening finisher, I did feel as if my teeth still had a slimy build up that I had to rinse out a few times.

When I did use this two step system, I did notice a great whitening effect, and actually received quite a few compliments about the whiteness of my smile. There is a downside with longer term use though. This product will tend to temporarily whiten the gums in addition to the teeth, and some users have mentioned their gums left feeling “burned” after use.

Pros:

• It’s as simple as brushing, therefore easy to integrate into daily routines
• It is the most cost effective of all the whitening systems
• The product is easy to obtain with a variety of options on where to get it

Cons:

• The product can whiten, or cause sensitive, gums
• The two tubes don’t last the same amount of time and one typically runs out quicker than the other
• It does not leave fresh minty breath like typical toothpaste

The Crest 3D Brilliance White Two Step Whitening system is available on Amazon or a variety of retailers.

Honorable Mention:

Crest Whitening Emulsions

Another whitening system from Crest is the Crest Whitening Emulsions. This product can be purchased as just the whitening gel, or with the LED light for increasing the whitening effect.

Crest states on their website that it can take up to 14 treatments to create a noticeable difference, which is longer than some of the competitors of whitening solutions.

The system comes with a small wand applicator to apply the whitening gel to teeth. My biggest issue was getting the gel to apply and spread evenly to my teeth. I noticed if there was even the smallest amount of moisture to my teeth, the gel would not stick, but would either slide off or stick to the applicator wand.

Once the gel is applied, the LED light can be turned on and placed into the mouth, where it will turn off after the designated time of 2 minutes. All in all, it’s a fast process, and after the two minutes, the gel dries to the teeth to continue whitening throughout the day. I did find that I had some difficulty remembering to keep my teeth apart so as not to overlap each other during the LED light whitening process.

While I enjoyed the quick process of this whitening system, I did not see as much results from the system and had more difficulty getting the gel to actually apply to my teeth, resulting in this system taking longer that it should to begin.

Pros:

• Fast treatment time of only 1–2 minutes
• Small and portable whitening system
• The gel dries on teeth, without leaving any sticky or slimy residue

Cons:

• Occasional difficulty remembering to keep teeth from overlapping during the whitening process
• The LED light device is small and does not have a very powerful light in comparison to competitors
• The whitening gel can be difficult to apply to teeth

The Crest 3D Whitening Emulsions can be purchased on Crest’s website, Amazon, and select retailers.

Honorable Mention:

Crest 3D Whitestrips

The last product on this list is the Crest 3D Whitestrips. This product has been around the longest and it seems that Crest continually tries to improve it to match consumers’ feedback.

I’ve tried Crest Whitestrips off and on throughout the years, especially after a new update to the product is released. The product comes with 22 treatments for the upper and lower teeth. Simply peel the whitestrip off the plastic backing, apply to the upper or lower teeth, and let it work its magic.

At a process time of 30 minutes, this whitening system is the longest of its competitors, and even offers a “1 hour express” whitening strip option.

My biggest issue throughout the years is keeping the Whitestrips in place on my teeth. No matter what, around the 15 minute mark, the strips slide off my teeth as my mouth builds up saliva. Crest introduced the “no slip” Whitestrips a few years ago, which included a texture to the Whitestrips to keep the product gripping to the teeth easier. This did me no additional favors, unfortunately.

In addition to slippage, this product definitely increased my teeth sensitivity, especially with prolonged use. However, others find the Whitestrips to be more comfortable due to the low profile of the strips on the teeth.

Pros:

• Can be a more comfortable option due to the low profile of the strips
• Variety of Whitestrip options on the Crest website

Cons:

• Strips can be difficult to keep on teeth without slipping
• Longest whitening sessions of all competitors (30 minues)
• Can cause teeth sensitivities

Crest 3D Whitestrips can be purchased on the Crest website, with options to include an LED light or the 1 hour express whitening, or on Amazon.

Are my teeth as white as fresh snow? Not yet. But I feel well equipped with my newfound knowledge and product experience that I can get my best smile possible!