I want to whiten my teeth but I'm not sure what product to use. There are so many types out there. Anybody got a favorite? I want want that 1. It does not take to long and 2. In is not that pricey. Thanks.

I know there are a lot of products on the market, but some people swear by this old home remedy to whiten teeth...Use your toothbrush and scrub you teeth with baking soda. I've never tried it so I can't guarantee it works.

Rembrandt has a system out there that I used and liked. I can't remember the name of it, but it comes in a package with 3 tubes of whitener, and then one tube of whitening toothpaste.

You use the 3 tubes as your toothpaste everyday, and brush normally. It costs about $10 but lasts for several weeks.

I didn't really follow the instructions to a T but I felt like it worked well.

Edited to link the product: http://www.theessentials.com/store/products.asp?dept=186&bc=5_7
Its the first product on the page.

Baking soda. Just brush your teeth with baking soda all the time and you will have whiter, brighter teeth. This is now made easier with baking soda tooth pastes that come with all of those other wonder full chemicals like fluoride.

If you are a smoker, or drink lots of coffee you need to get a little tougher with the stains - or if you have gotten stained teeth over the years. There are toothpastes out there designed for smokers which do reduce the amount of staining over time. There are now whitening toothpastes which do brighten your teeth over time. In my mind these are safer and do less damage to the enamel of your teeth.

There are many products out there. Years ago there was only a product which was a clear gel that you put into sponges shaped to go around your teeth. That product is more like what you get at the dentist.

Today you have strips and paints and other things all claiming to do the same thing.

If you want instant gratification then a dentist will need to do the job, if you are willing to wait a couple of weeks then you can do daily applications with an OTC product. Mind most of the OTC products will only truly whiten only lightly stained teeth.

The problem here is that you are bleaching and stripping off the top coat of enamel - this is not a good thing it can, over time, lead to tooth decay. Enamel is important to the heath of your teeth.

In my humble opinion the strips are the best product – why? Because they are relatively easy to apply and remove and other than just timing for 30 minutes each day for two weeks you don’t have to fuss with gels, pastes and applicators. Not only that but the strips are disposable – meaning you use them once and then you toss. With the paint you are constantly using the applicator; with the gels you are using the sponges over and over again – meaning you have to clean them.

They all take about the same amount of time 2 weeks of daily applications for 30 minutes time. Yes there is a product out there that claims to do the same thing in 2 weeks – downside is that you really do not know how much enamel you are stripping off in that week. The price may be too high for faster results.

They are all about the same price too, which is to say in my opinion too expensive to do regularly.

Mind all whitening products are going to strip your enamel slightly. Its not like 200 -300 years ago when they used extreme chemical compounds – getting pearly white teeth in they young adult years ending up toothless and in constant agony by mid-life – but there is still some damage to enamel.

I believe I pointed out three times here the importance of maintaining your tooth enamel. My Mother was born with lousy tooth enamel, and due to things she ate and drank she stripped away a lot of that enamel, by the time she was 33 she had most of her teeth pulled and had to wear bridges, and partial plates. By the time she was 40 it was easier and less expensive to get all of her teeth removed and use dentures.

I, having picked wisely when it came to the genetics of my parents, came out with strong tooth enamel. I have 3 fillings and have had two teeth pulled. The ones that were pulled were wisdom teeth my mouth isn’t as big as many think it is . I am nearing 40, have had a history of drug use (speed is well known to cause teeth to crumble) and I know that I haven’t taken good care of my teeth all of the time. My last dental cleaning my teeth were still in good shape.

Due to having good enamel, I have few issues with staining, even though I smoke and have smoked since I was 13 (26 years) I do drink coffee and tea. My mother who had terrible enamel had yellow and brown teeth by the time she was 30 and she brushed every day and did all of the “right” things in dental hygiene. This suggests to me that staining may be a sign of weak or porous tooth enamel which allows stains to occur.

If you are prone to cavities or have any gum issues then I would strongly urge you to consult dentist about your options when it comes to whitening your teeth.

I've tried all OTC whiteners and I can highly recommend Crest White Strips 14 day regimen. The results typically last 6 months but I find that my teeth stay white for almost a year.

However a word of caution. This past August Georgetown University Hospital researchers said that the active ingredient in tooth whiteners (hydrogen peroxide) could be responsible for tongue cancer. Dr. Bruce Davidson presented his research at the International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer. The American Dental Association has not made a link between tooth whiteners and tongue cancer but oncologists are recognizing the possibility.

I asked my dentist about continuing my usage of Crest White Strips and he felt that using them as they are intended (2 weeks, every 6 months) would not cause a problem. But those who are "whitening junkies" and continually use tooth whiteners in the quest for perfect teeth, are the ones who need to be concerned.

I like the Crest ones too, but I prefer the 7 day regimen, only because it does the job in half the time and I'm not that patient!

I worked in a dentist office and they sold professional crest white strips and they worked so I don't know about the over the counter one's. They also did the custom bleaching; I would do the custom bleaching with your dentist. They will make impressions of your teeth and then make rubber/plastic trays. You will get the bleach from your dentist and put that in the trays and pop them in over night or if you have a couple hours in the day to do this. I feel this is a better route because you will be monitored by your dentist for a couple months. Also some dentist have the one hour bleaching which you go to the office and they put this gel on your teeth use a special light and within a hour you have white teeth. They will also send you home with custom bleach trays for touch ups in the future. Some patients used the over the counter stuff that left white blotches on their teeth. We did have some patients that bought sports mouth guards and put the bleach in them the only fear with that is they cover the gum and you will have bleach touching your gums and they will get very sensitive. Also some people no matter what they cannot get white teeth when bleaching one patient in general because of taking the medication tetracycline while she was little that gave her teeth a dark color and not matter what she wouldn’t have white teeth.