Have you ever hid your smile out of fear that someone might see the stains or discoloration on your teeth? A lot of us have felt that flash of embarrassment at inopportune times, but it doesn’t have to mean hiding your not-so-pearly whites - and it doesn’t have to mean investing hundreds of dollars into a procedure with your doctor. 

Teeth whitening kits have made a lot of advances over the years, and some are finally showing the potential to seriously compete with the teeth whitening machines that you might have seen at your dentist’s office. One promising producer of whitening kits - a brand known as Dr. Brite - has even demonstrated the ability to achieve comparable results to a $600 professional treatment without ever having to leave your home.

How It Works

Two components sit at the heart of any serious home whitening kit: the whitener itself and the activator. The former usually takes a gel form that gets most of its whitening properties from a bleaching agent. In most instances, it’s some variant on hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide has been deemed safe for use as a whitening agent by the FDA.

The peroxide on its own will help lighten the enamel in your teeth and cover up the presence of stains, but maximizing the potential of those whitening agents means making use of an activator. This is normally a light that serves as a retainer. Bite down and just let the blue light activate the chemicals in the peroxide.

A Full and Comprehensive System

If you’re really serious about getting results out of your teeth whitening routine, you’ll need to do more than just rub on some peroxide every couple of days. A good tooth whitening system needs to include toothpaste and mouthwash that promote overall gum and tooth health while also placing a special emphasis on whitening.

The great thing about the gel is that it can be paired with lighting in the evening for long sessions of bleaching, or you can apply it on the spot to deal with embarrassments at the moment. If that’s a priority for you, practical application should be a priority as well. Gels can be messy, but there are a number of methods that you could feasibly apply just out of the public.

We’re very impressed with the pen system utilized by Dr. Brite. They offer a simple and pain-free way to apply peroxide to your teeth without creating a mess, and there are even different pens that can be used to offset various types of stains. And refilling the pens when they run out of staining gel is seamless thanks to the easy-to-use syringe.

Attacking the Issue From Every Angle

Being comprehensive with your teeth whitening plan means using every tool at your disposal, but it doesn’t have to mean overdoing it. Swishing too many chemicals or stripping down the enamel on your teeth from overbrushing is only going to exacerbate your problem.

If sensitivity is something you’re concerned about, there are some great all-natural choices out there. Hydrogen peroxide on its own can whiten by up to eight shades, but it works best when paired with ingredients that are focused on long-term health and preventative medicine.

Organic extracts like chamomile can help with sensitive gums, while organic extracts from fruit like cranberry can actually provide a convincing shield against stains. Do your research, talk to your dentist, and get suggestions on what sort of dental whitening plan fits your needs. But for our money, Dr. Brite offers some of the top teeth whitening kits online.