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Oct 17, 2024

The 8 Best Whitening Toothpastes of 2024

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Yes, whitening toothpastes do work with regular use. Brian T. Luong, DMD, is an

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Yes, whitening toothpastes do work with regular use.

Brian T. Luong, DMD, is an orthodontist at Anaheim Hills Orthodontics and Santa Ana Orthodontics and Chief Dental Officer at Become Aligners.

Rich Scherr is an updates strategist and fact checker for Dotdash Meredith brands, including Health and Verywell. He is a seasoned financial and technology journalist who served as editor-in-chief of the Potomac Tech Wire for nearly two decades, and is a regular contributor to the sports pages of The Baltimore Sun. He has also been a news editor for America Online and has contributed to the Associated Press and The Washington Post.

In This Article

Health / Kristin Kempa

Are your pearly whites losing their luster? If so, you know how frustrating tooth discoloration can be. Although professional whitening treatments or tooth whitening strips can make a huge difference, daily use of whitening toothpaste also goes a long way in helping your smile shine.

The best whitening toothpaste contains ingredients like baking soda that are known to lift and break up the discoloration stains to reveal your teeth’s natural color, says Quinn Yost, DDS, MSD, of Milk Tooth Pediatric Dentistry & Wellness Shoppe. If you’re a heavy coffee or tea drinker, then you may benefit from a targeted teeth-whitening toothpaste since both of these beverages can cause staining when consumed regularly. Additionally, if you have recently invested in a more thorough whitening treatment, a whitening toothpaste may help you maintain the results.

To find the best whitening toothpastes, we personally tested 15 different toothpastes that advertised teeth whitening benefits and evaluated them based on effectiveness, comfort, convenience, and taste. We also interviewed experts to determine what ingredients to look for in a whitening toothpaste. In addition, an orthodontist on our Medical Expert Board also reviewed this article for medical and scientific accuracy. At the end of our research and testing period, we scored each toothpaste and compared results to see which ones came out on top.

If you are concerned about ingredients in your toothpaste or wondering about the quality of your toothpaste, looking for the ADA Seal of Acceptance is a great place to start. This seal means that the American Dental Association has extensively researched, tested, and approved the product and that its ingredients are safe to use.

Dr. Yost recommends looking for ingredients like hydrogen peroxide, sodium fluoride, and carbamide peroxide, which are known for their ability to remove surface stains. Baking soda and activated charcoal can also help, but they may not be a good match for people with sensitive teeth.

Some ingredients can be harsh or abrasive and might even damage tooth enamel when overused warns Dr. Yost. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is known to cause irritation for those with sensitive teeth, and ingredients like baking soda, silica, and calcium carbonate should be used sparingly as they can be abrasive. If you try out a new teeth whitening toothpaste and experience tooth and gum pain or sensitivity, it’s worth switching to another product with less aggressive whitening ingredients.

It’s important to remember that whitening toothpastes can take some time to work. In our two-week testing period, we only saw improvements by a shade or two. It can take up to six weeks of regular, daily use to see more dramatic results. Even then, you probably won’t see the kind of change that would result from professional teeth whitening or teeth whitening strips. Dr. Yost also notes that whitening toothpastes won’t be able to whiten intrinsic stains, which affect the inner layer of your teeth.

When it comes to hygiene and self-care products, Burt’s Bees Whitening with Floride Toothpaste is one of the most trusted brands on the market. Their cruelty-free and ADA-approved toothpaste uses sodium fluoride to deep clean and whiten teeth, and the results of our testing were almost immediate. The ingredients are effective at reducing stains but gentle enough for daily use if you have sensitive teeth or gums. Additionally, this toothpaste does not contain artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which can cause gum and mouth irritation for some users.

We found that the flavor was refreshingly clean and didn’t leave a strong or chemical aftertaste, although there was a slight lingering flavor after use.

Health / Brit Haines

Colgate’s Baking Soda & Peroxide Whitening toothpaste brings together a variety of ingredients that whiten your teeth over time. Baking soda can help remove surface-level stains, while peroxide cleans and leaves you with a fresh feeling after each brush. We found the "brisk mint" flavor pleasant and didn’t cause a burning sensation like some other mint-flavored toothpaste. Within a few weeks of twice-daily use, we were satisfied with the results. The targeted whitening ingredients and mellow, minty flavor make for a clean and effective brushing experience.

Ingredients might irritate your gums or cause your mouth to feel dry after brushing.

Among the several Crest brand toothpastes on this list, the Crest 3D White Brilliance performed the best during our testing. The toothpaste uses sodium fluoride to strengthen your enamel and foaming ingredients to help loosen and lift surface stains. When used twice daily, it can help prevent new stains. We appreciated the easy twist-top cap, which prevented some of the messy overflow you often get from flip-top lids, as well as the toothpaste’s refreshing peppermint flavor and smooth texture.

We found it takes more than the advertised three to five days to start seeing results.

Crest 3D White Professional Enamel Protect Toothpaste is designed to whiten teeth using enamel-safe ingredients, so you don’t need to worry about harming your enamel with harsh whitening products. The gentle ingredients are a good fit for people with sensitive teeth, and the light, minty flavor wasn’t too overpowering. The toothpaste’s active ingredient, fluoride, is known to protect against cavities.

It also had a minimal aftertaste, which meant we could enjoy a cup of coffee or beverage after brushing without any noticeable change to the flavor. Surface stains were removed with just a few brushes, and some results were visible in just a few days.

The toothpaste didn’t remove deeper stains, so it may be better suited for maintaining the results of a more aggressive teeth whitening treatment, like whitening strips.

If you have sensitive teeth or gums, choosing a gentle toothpaste is crucial to starting your morning off without lingering pain after brushing. Crest Pro-Health Gum and Sensitivity Toothpaste was formulated with specific ingredients that are kinder to your teeth and gums.

The flavor is the best we tried among the other teeth-whitening toothpaste on this list. Whereas most other toothpaste flavors are dominated by an intensive peppermint flavor, this toothpaste features a light hint of mint that we found refreshing. We noticed that it also gave off a slight tingling feeling that left our teeth feeling sparkling clean almost an hour after brushing.

Since it doesn’t contain any of the more common whitening ingredients, like peroxide or baking soda, it might not have as much of a whitening effect as other products.

Baking soda can help whiten teeth, as this toothpaste from Arm and Hammer demonstrates—as long as you can handle the flavor. The toothpaste is heavy on the baking soda, resulting in a gritty texture and bitter taste. However, we were able to see significant whitening after only a few uses.

Despite the intense flavor, we didn’t find that the toothpaste caused any problems for sensitive teeth, and it worked well at removing surface stains that had been building up over time. While whitening strips or professional teeth whitening still offer the best results, we think this toothpaste is a great way to maintain the results of more concentrated treatments.

The strong mint flavor and high amount of baking soda in this toothpaste make the flavor incredibly bitter and strong, which may overpower some first-time users.

Health / Elizabeth Theriot

Instead of baking soda and calcium peroxide, which can sometimes create an unpleasant bitter flavor and a gritty texture, Colgate Optic White Renewal Teeth Whitening Toothpaste uses a deep cleaning 3% hydrogen peroxide formula. We found that this formula had a light, gentle flavor similar to spearmint gum, which didn’t irritate sensitive teeth.

We did notice the toothpaste was more watery than other products we tried.

Health / Loren Brutsch

Hello Naturally Whitening Toothpaste is vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and made up of natural ingredients that can effectively clean and whiten your teeth. It uses sodium monofluorophosphate, a fluoride compound, as its active ingredient to help whiten teeth. During our testing, we found that this toothpaste effectively removed surface stains and prevented new ones from forming. The texture of the toothpaste was unique compared to other brands we tested; it reminded us of frosting. It also has a fresh peppermint flavor derived from farm-grown peppermint, keeping breath smelling fresh all day.

There are no artificial sweeteners added, so the taste is a bit bitter.

To select the best whitening toothpastes, we knew we had to test them out firsthand. We tested 15 different toothpastes for two weeks, using each twice per day. Before testing began, we noted the color shade of our teeth on a dental color shade chart. At the end of the testing period, we returned to the testing lab for a final evaluation and a before-and-after color comparison. Our final ratings looked at four unique attributes:

We also spoke to experts to learn how different ingredients affect sensitive teeth and gums. Experts we interviewed include:

We tested several different teeth whitening toothpastes to build this list. While the following products didn’t make our list of top picks, we thought they were worth a mention:

Steven Rowe is a New York-based writer covering health, parenting, and mental health. He studied theater and psychology at Pepperdine University and has written for several online publications looking specifically at the data-driven analysis of everyday health products and how they can improve our daily lives.

Loren Brutsch, one of the editors of this article, was personally involved in the testing process of these teeth whitening toothpastes and highly recommends the Colgate Optic White Renewal toothpaste.