Collage: Jemeria Davison; Source images: Courtesy of brands Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story Ideally, brushing your teeth every day would be enough to keep them pearly white. But for those with stubborn stains, the best at-home teeth-whitening kits can help you maintain a bright smile in between dentist visits. While a good whitening toothpaste can work to keep stains away on a day-to-day basis, these more potent kits typically use strips, trays, or a pen to deliver their whitening agents—usually hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide—to your teeth. These ingredients come in lower concentrations than you’d get with in-office treatments, but they can still have noticeable results.
Just remember to keep your expectations realistic. “What’s important to understand is that whitening simply lifts stains from your teeth to bring your teeth back to their natural color,” says Sharon Huang , DDS, a cosmetic dentist in New York City. “It doesn’t make teeth look artificially white or opaque.” A good at-home teeth whitener won’t give you a mouthful of Chiclets, but it will brighten up your smile—and even remove the evidence of your cold brew habit.
How do you remove stains from teeth? How do teeth-whitening ingredients work? What are the differences between in-office whitening and over-the-counter whitening treatments? Any other considerations while shopping for teeth-whitening products? Am I a good candidate for over-the-counter teeth-whitening products? Can yellow teeth actually be whitened? What are the downsides of teeth whitening? Meet the experts How we test and review products Our staff and testers Ready for a brighter smile? Check out the best teeth-whitening kits, as selected by experts and editors, below.
Why we love it: There's no doubt that Crest Whitestrips are one of the most recognizable over-the-counter teeth-whitening systems available. It seems as if they've been around forever, but professionals (and Allure Best of Beauty Award testers) still love them. "Over the counter, I recommend Crest 3D Whitestrips," says Neil Hadaegh , DDS, a board-certified cosmetic and restorative dentist in Beverly Hills, California. "A lot of my patients who naturally have whiter teeth or slightly discolored teeth are happy with the results," Dr. Hadaegh notes.
Giri Palani , DDS, a board-certified dentist in Beverly Hills and Palos Verdes, California, is also a fan of Crest’s teeth-whitening strips. "When people use strips properly, they can get very close to professional whitening," he says. One Best of Beauty tester found that was absolutely the case: With regular use (45 minutes a day for 20 days), these strips tackled years of drinking multiple coffees every day. To top it off, they didn’t aggravate her sensitive teeth.
Key ingredients: hydrogen peroxide Best Whitening Trays: Opalescence Go Whitening Trays Save to wishlist Save to wishlist Opalescence
Why we love it: Opalescence Go Whitening Trays are a crowd favorite among the cosmetic dentists we spoke to. They come in 10% or 15% hydrogen peroxide concentrations, and they even have flavor options: You can choose between refreshing Mint or Melon. "The whitening gel is dense and stays put while you wear the tray, which means less whitening gel [goes] on your tongue or down your throat," says Chrystle Cu, DDS, a board-certified dentist in San Mateo, California, and Cocofloss founder .
Meanwhile, Clement Kairouz , DDS, a cosmetic dentist based in New York and Du…