Teeth Whitening Reviews

Experts agree that some tooth-whitening products can produce dramatic results. The vast majority agree that in-office teeth-whitening by your dentist works best, but opinions vary widely on whether over-the-counter strips, pastes, chewing gum, trays and paint-on liquids really work. To learn more, we turned to dental experts from the American Dental Association (ADA) and the International Association for Dental Research (IADR). In particular, the 2007 IADR convention saw the presentation of seven research studies comparing teeth-whitening products. Unfortunately, many of these studies are sponsored by manufacturers. We found less formal (but possibly more objective) testing at The Wall Street Journal, where editors compare five tooth-whitening products.

User evaluations of teeth-whitening products at Drugstore.com and Amazon.com are also valuable. While individuals can't scientifically measure the whiteness of their teeth, they are certainly knowledgeable about which products are uncomfortable, messy or downright painful. Consumer Reports has not covered this topic since 2004 and most of the products tested in that report are no longer available. A 2008 report on health in Consumer Reports, however, discusses several treatments available at the dentist's office, including teeth whitening, but does not rate or compare the efficacy of products.

In addition, we find many websites that portray themselves as unbiased review sites for tooth-whitening products but, in fact, have very little substantive information and no testing details. We don't even know who is writing these "reviews," since authors and experts are not identified. We tried to contact TeethWhiteningReview.com and Teeth-Whitening-Guide.com, but did not receive a reply from either site. We'd take sites like these more seriously if they recommended or criticized products based on comparative testing, or at least identified the authors. Nevertheless, with just a list of unsupported "top-rated" teeth-whiteners, these sites are of little or no value in trying to identify the most effective teeth whitening products. Note that a similar-sounding site, TeethWhiteningReviews.com, does post legitimate user reviews.

The Celebrity Sexy Teeth website offers an easy way to order it -- but no customer service or company contact information -- no e-mail address and no phone numbers at all. A search to find out who is behind the website reveals a masked domain name -- so the people behind Celebrity Sexy Teeth pretty clearly do not want you to know who they are or where they are located.

All the reviewers and experts we find agree that professional teeth-whitening -- though expensive -- is the most effective and convenient way to brighten your smile. The ADA recommends these methods as well, saying it's preferable to have any tooth-whitening process supervised by a dentist. There are a couple of different options if you choose this route and your dentist can help you choose the one that's right for you. Aside from professional whitening, over-the-counter teeth whitening products sometimes work and sometimes don't, or they work for some people and not for others.  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

All experts agree that professional teeth-whitening, while the most expensive, is the way to go if you want dramatic, long-lasting results and convenience. Crest Whitestrips Premium and Classic win good reviews for over-the-counter effectiveness and convenience. Whitening chewing gums, like Trident White, may be an option if you already enjoy chewing gum, but they're not nearly as effective as bleaching agents. Go Smile is expensive, but testers like that the paint-on formula can get to areas that strips can't reach. Go Smile has an advantage in that the gel does not have to be removed.