Safest Teeth Whiteners
The safest ways to whiten your teeth explained
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A teeth whitening pen is a fast and simple way to brighten your smile while on the go. It’s a thin plastic tube that contains teeth whitening gel. The brush tip allows for quick applications, so you instantly get whiter teeth.
Like many teeth whitening products, you can purchase them over the counter. They are compact, so you can bring it anywhere with you.
If you need brighter teeth, all you have to do is pop it open and brush your teeth with the gel. This should remove teeth stains within minutes, leaving them a few shades whiter.
Teeth can lose their natural pearly color for several reasons:
The whitening gel used in teeth whiteners dissolves stains, making them lighter. After applying the gel with the brush tip, do not rinse your mouth. This will allow it to continue lightening teeth stains.
NewMouth's Top Recommendations
Best Overall Whitening Pen — AuraGlow Teeth Whitening Pen
Best Fast-Acting Whitening Gel Pen — Colgate Optic White Overnight
Best Whitening Pen for Sensitive Teeth — VieBeauti
Best-Tasting Teeth Whitening Pen — SweetWhite
Best Teeth Whitening Pen with LED Light — iSmile Teeth Whitening Kit
There’s a teeth whitening pen for everyone. Here are the best options to choose from:
AuraGlow® has everything you want in a teeth whitener. It’s pocket-sized, dries in less than a minute, and has great flavor. Plus, it can give you a brighter smile that’s 4 to 8 shades lighter if you use it twice daily — all for an attractive price of $22 per kit.
This carbamide-based whitening pen is gentle for daily use, which makes it ideal for sensitive teeth. The soft brush tip lets you coat stained teeth and crevices with precision.
Regarding ingredients, AuraGlow® Teeth Whitening Pen is completely kosher and gluten-free. It also contains Mentha Piperita oil, giving it a cool mint flavor that leaves your breath feeling fresh after every use.
VieBeauti® Teeth Whitening Pen lightens teeth making them 4 to 8 shades whiter. Using it twice daily helps remove stubborn stains caused by smoking and food stains caused by coffee, tea, wine, and carbonated beverages.
Like most products, it has a 35% carbamide peroxide formula which is scientifically proven effective. It works on tough stains caused by smoking and dark foods such as coffee, tea, wine, and soda.
One standout feature of the VieBeauti® Whitening Pen is the twist-type mechanism. It supplies the applicator with just enough whitening gel, helping you avoid wastage. It also comes in a pocket-sized 5-inch design.
Whitening pens are the most convenient teeth whitening products. Sadly, many gels do take time to dry. They also don't allow for quick touch-ups. More often than not, you have to make sure that the whitening gel stays on long enough for a whiter smile.
AsaVea® Teeth Whitening Pen is an excellent option for on-the-go teeth whitening. Aside from being travel-friendly, the gel dries within 30 seconds of application, leaving you less to worry about if you’re always in a hurry. It also has a mint flavor, so your breath smells fresh after use.
The name says it all. SweetWhite® Professional Teeth Whitening Pen gives you a brighter smile while leaving a delightful taste in your mouth. It has a sweet peppermint flavor thanks to the combination of propylene glycol, sucralose, and natural peppermint oil.
SweetWhite® comes with a clinically-proven formula. It contains 35% carbamide peroxide, giving you a white smile after 7 days of daily use. To top it off, it’s gluten-free and kosher.
Similar products are usually recommended for daytime use. Unfortunately, daytime activities such as eating, drinking, and constant salivation can reduce the effects of a teeth whitening pen and delay the results. By shifting to nightly treatments, you can maximize their whitening power and get a brighter smile faster.
Such is the case with Colgate® Optic White Overnight. You can apply it at night after your oral care routine and safely leave it on while you sleep. During this time, its main ingredient (3% hydrogen peroxide) will act on your teeth to give you a whiter smile.
Its unique formulation also coats your teeth with a protective layer, so it doesn’t wash off with saliva. To remove it, just brush your teeth as soon as you wake up. Colgate® Optic White Overnight can give you pearly white teeth within a week. So if you want a fast-acting teeth whitener with visible results, look no further.
For instantly white teeth on a budget, go for Ecco Pure®. It uses the same active ingredients as most teeth whiteners, making it equally effective as higher-priced products. Apart from its low cost of $6 per pack, it has a pH-neutral formula. It helps prevent bacteria from breeding in your mouth, which can lead to tooth decay.
At $45 per pack, iSmile® is one of the market's more expensive teeth whitening pens. However, it also produces visible results in a short time.
The package — which includes a whitening gel and a LED light — has double the whitening power. It combines the effects of both products, giving you a whiter smile that’s 15 shades lighter. Its formula also allows for remineralization and reverses early damage to the enamel.
One major drawback of iSmile® is that it’s basically an at-home treatment, not an on-the-go teeth whitening pen. Each treatment has to last 15 minutes. Otherwise, you won’t get the promised effects.
Cali White® is an excellent option for buyers who are looking for “clean” teeth whiteners. This means it is made of non-toxic ingredients and is environmentally friendly.
This USA-made product has a lot to offer in this department. It’s vegan, non-GMO, kosher, and gluten-free. It only has certified organic ingredients and doesn’t contain sulfates, parabens, PEG, and PPG. Best of all, it is dentist-approved.
For teeth whitening, it still relies on a 35% carbamide formulation. Although, the company uses a gentle serum to prevent damaging the enamel. Cali White® can give you 2 to 8 shades of whiter teeth that are visible within 7 to 10 days.
Most effective over-the-counter (OTC) teeth whitening products contain hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide. These are peroxide-based bleaches that act directly on teeth stains.
The gold standard for whitening treatments is a formula containing 10% carbamide peroxide.7,8 Studies have also found that sodium fluoride, sodium hexametaphosphate, and hydrated silica are effective teeth whitening agents.8,9
Sodium fluoride and sodium hexametaphosphate create a barrier on your enamel. The barrier prevents mineral loss, leading to stronger teeth structures and a whiter appearance.
Hydrogen and carbamide peroxide are equally effective at whitening teeth. How they work is slightly different.
Carbamide peroxide releases 50% of its whitening effects in the first 2 hours of application. These effects can last for 6 more hours afterward.1
Hydrogen peroxide breaks down faster than carbamide peroxide and lightens stains in as little as 30 to 60 minutes. But it doesn’t produce much effect until the next application.2
The end result of both ingredients is the same. Studies show that while carbamide-based teeth whiteners produced dramatic effects in the first 14 days of teeth whitening treatment, hydrogen peroxide produced the same results in 21 days.3
Yes. Teeth whitening pens produce instant results but continue whitening teeth for several minutes to hours after application.
Treatment with a teeth whitening pen usually lasts for 7 to 10 days. You will continue to see visible effects throughout the process.
Most manufacturers recommend using a teeth whitening pen at least twice daily — once in the morning, after breakfast and brushing your teeth; and once in the evening, after dinner and your oral care routine.
Pro tip: Avoid rinsing your mouth, eating food, or drinking beverages within the first 30 to 60 minutes (if using hydrogen peroxide) or within 2 hours (if using carbamide peroxide) of use.
Teeth whitening pens containing hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide are proven to be safe and effective. While bleaching can cause tooth sensitivity, it is unlikely to happen with a whitening pen if you follow the recommended use.4
Bleach-based whiteners work on extrinsic or external teeth stains caused by environmental factors. Based on studies, they produce visible effects in the following situations:4
They do not work on intrinsic or internal teeth stains caused by the following:4
Teeth whiteners also don’t work on stained caps, crowns, fillings, or veneers. Unlike natural teeth, they lack organic compounds that bleach can bind to.4
Some studies suggest that bleaching can lead to tooth sensitivity. However, this only applies to aggressive bleaching methods — such as power bleaching, where high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (30 to 50%) are used to whiten teeth.5
Most whitening pens contain 10 to 30% hydrogen peroxide, making them safe for daily use.
Applying 35% carbamide peroxide has also been shown to damage tooth enamel. When the enamel is damaged, teeth become sensitive and stain more easily. However, enamel damage only occurs with 14 days of consecutive use.6
Although many carbamide-based whitening pens have the same 35% formulation, manufacturers only recommend using them for 7 to 10 days which is within the safe range.
Pro tip: Consult your dentist before using a teeth whitening pen. This is especially true if you have sensitive teeth, dental restorations, dark teeth stains, a single dark tooth, or fillings and crowns.
There are all kinds of teeth whitening products on the market. Besides whitening pens, there are mouth rinses, chewing gums, toothpaste, trays, and strips.
They are available over the counter and contain hydrogen or carbamide peroxide as a whitening agent. However, teeth whitening pens have several advantages over these products:
The NewMouth editorial team analyzed dozens of different products available today to determine the available products.
Our evaluation and recommendations are based on:
NewMouth is a leading and trusted online resource for dental information, including product recommendations, primary dental care, at-home oral health care, orthodontics, procedures, costs, and more.
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Our recommendations are determined by:
After extensive research and product testing, this article also underwent an intensive review process:
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