The 5 best whitening toothpastes dentists recommend for stubborn stains and sensitivity (2024)

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Whether you're a coffee addict, ex-smoker, or just want to brighten your smile, virtually everyone wants whiter teeth. Fortunately, all kinds of intensive options are available — from the best whitening toothpaste and at-home teeth whitening kits to in-office dental procedures. For most of us, the easiest method is to switch up our toothpaste and ask it to do more than just fight plaque and cavities.

The best whitening toothpaste generally works by using enamel-safe abrasives to physically remove surface stains. Many also contain other active ingredients, like peroxide, to dissolve stains and bleach teeth.

But since not every toothpaste ingredient is equal, and some teeth whitening products notoriously cause tooth sensitivity, we spoke to four board-certified dentists to learn which whitening toothpaste really works. They shared the top brands they recommend to patients, as well as some general tips for what to look for when shopping. We also personally tested several top brands ourselvesand rounded up the five best below.

Learn more abouthow Insider Reviews tests and researches health products.

Our top picks for whitening toothpaste

Best overall: Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste - See at Amazon

Best for sensitive teeth: Crest Pro Health Gum and Sensitivity Gently Whitening - See at Amazon

Best natural: Tom's of Main Simply White Clean Mint - See at Amazon

Best for intensive whitening: Colgate Optic White Advanced Sparkling White - See at Amazon

Best eco-friendly: Bite Toothpaste Bits - See at Amazon

Best overall

The 5 best whitening toothpastes dentists recommend for stubborn stains and sensitivity (1)

Colgate Total SF Whitening Gel

Colgate Total Whitening Toothpaste is a top pick among our dentists as it's a budget-friendly and effective way to whiten and protect the overall health of your teeth.

What we like

  • Inexpensive
  • American Dental Association (ADA) approved
  • Provides sensitivity relief

What we don’t like

  • Taste is questionable to some

Two of our expert sources, Ben El Chami, DMD, an NYC-based dentist and co-founder/chief dental officer of dntlbar, and Chris Salierno, DDS, dental practitioner, and chief dental officer of Tend, independently named Colgate Total Whitening as the best whitening toothpaste they'd recommend to patients looking for a daily whitening boost. It also bears the ADA seal of acceptance, meaning the professional organization support that its efficacy and safety claims are sufficiently backed up by clinical research.

It's a clear winner in the eyes of the pros because, in addition to whitening power, it has antibacterial properties that help defend against gum disease and tooth decay. These effects come from the active ingredient, stannous fluoride, which helps offset the increased sensitivity some people experience when using whitening toothpaste.

The minty taste is subtle and not too strong without any unpleasant aftertaste. And compared to other toothpaste packaging, we love that Colgate Total has a flat flip cap for easier access and the option to stand the tube up straight on your sink.

Best for sensitive teeth

What we like

  • ADA-approved
  • Relieves sensitivity

What we don’t like

  • Some users dislike taste and texture
  • Not enough relief for extremely sensitive users
  • Whitening effects are subtle

There aren't too many top whitening toothpaste options on the market that specifically cater to those with sensitive teeth. Crest Pro-Health Gum and Sensitivity Gentle Whitening, however, does and it's the only ADA-approved toothpaste that offers both sensitivity relief and whitening effects.

The stain removal is provided by hydrated silica, which acts as a gentle abrasive. This isn't as extreme as some other products, both in terms of removing stains and causing sensitivity, so it's a real trade-off. But it's the best-researched option out there for sensitivity sufferers looking for stain removal action. Pro-Health is also the best Crest whitening toothpaste in its lineup.

The minty-sweet taste is mild but pleasant, and users say that, compared to other leading brands of sensitive toothpaste, it both tastes better and relieves sensitivity better. Like the Colgate Total SF Whitening Gel, we like that this tube has a flat flip cap for easy closure and the ability to stand vertical on a countertop to save space.

Best natural

The 5 best whitening toothpastes dentists recommend for stubborn stains and sensitivity (3)

Tom's of Maine Simply White Clean Mint Toothpaste

From a trustworthy natural personal-care-products brand, Tom's of Maine Simply White Clean Mint Toothpaste delivers on its whitening promises without any harsh chemicals.

What we like

  • ADA-approved
  • No artificial flavorings or colorings
  • Brand prioritizes sustainability and ethics

What we don’t like

  • Some users dislike the taste
  • Some complain that it's less effective than traditional toothpaste in keeping breath fresh
  • Price

Tom's of Maine Simply White is one of the very few toothpaste brands in the "natural" sector to earn ADA approval with proven whitening effects. If you prefer to steer clear of traditional toothpaste because of their ingredients, production process, or personal preference, Tom's Simply White is the best bet for whiter teeth, vouched for by dentists and customers.

Like most whitening toothpaste, Tom's Simply White uses abrasives — in this case, naturally-derived silicas — to scrub off surface stains. It's flavored with peppermint oil which delivers a mild, not overpowering fresh flavor. The tube is recyclable, which we love, and it has a smaller cap and opening which, in our experience, makes for less of a mess but also means you can't store it upright on your bathroom counter.

Tom's also contains fluoride. There are oft-debated but largely unproven or debunked arguments against the naturally-occurring mineral omitted from the best fluoride-free toothpastes, but it's an ingredient the ADA and every dentist we spoke with strongly recommends, according to decades-long bodies of evidence that have proven the mineral essential in cavity prevention.

Best for intensive whitening

The 5 best whitening toothpastes dentists recommend for stubborn stains and sensitivity (4)

Colgate Optic White Advanced Sparkling White

Colgate Optic White Advanced Sparkling White is formulated with hydrogen peroxide and abrasives to provide a double-whammy whitening effect.

What we like

  • ADA-approved
  • Extra-strength whitening ability

What we don’t like

  • May leave a filmy mouthfeel after using

Colgate Optic White Advanced, like the other products on our guide to the best whitening toothpastes, contains gentle abrasives to scrub stains and polish teeth. But it also uses hydrogen peroxide for its natural lightening properties, giving you a one-two punch of whitening techniques – sort of like washing your white laundry with not just a strong detergent, but bleach too.

It's the only bleaching toothpaste (not merely stain-removing) that the ADA has granted approval to, and like all ADA-approved pastes, it includes fluoride for cavity prevention. Despite its powerful whitening ability, Optic White is safe for enamel and many people report less sensitivity and irritation than with other whitening toothpaste.

The toothpaste works by creating a sort of film on the surface of your teeth so that the hydrogen peroxide can continue to work for more than just the two minutes you spend brushing. As a result, some people don't like the feeling it leaves after you brush.

Best eco-friendly

The 5 best whitening toothpastes dentists recommend for stubborn stains and sensitivity (5)

Bite Toothpaste Bits

If you're looking for a whitening toothpaste that has a clean ingredient list and ditches the plastic tube, Bite's toothpaste bits are what you seek.

What we like

  • Reusable glass jar instead of plastic
  • Four-month supply each time you order
  • Clean ingredients list
  • Helps with teeth sensitivity

What we don’t like

  • Takes some getting used to
  • Doesn't get foamy
  • Doesn't always produce the same kind of clean mouth feel

Bite is a step above your basic "eco-friendly" or "sustainable" toothpaste — its packaging also nixes the plastic in favor of a reusable glass jar. Instead, the brand offers some of the best whitening toothpaste in little Altoid-like bites.

Like little pellets, the bits are a far cry from the traditional paste most people are used to and actually require you to bite down on them to crush the bit before brushing. When I first tested these out, I was a little skeptical, and it did take a while to get used to.

The most notable difference for me when I tested was how much less foam the bits created in my mouth. This would sometimes leave me feeling as though my mouth wasn't as clean as it could be after brushing (even though it was). However, that's due to the active ingredient, sodium cocoyl glutamate, which is activated when mixed with the water on your toothbrush.

For some, the minimal foaming may be a positive, but it took me a few times to get used to it.

I did like Bite's clean ingredient list, which further adds to its badge of sustainability. The bits come in either a mint, charcoal, or berry flavor, though I'd recommend the mint as it gets the closest to that fresh, post-brush feeling (plus, charcoal toothpaste has its drawbacks).

You will pay slightly more for the higher-quality packaging (about $48 for a four-month supply), but it's often on sale for at least $10 off (if not more). Plus, there's a trial size of 62 bits (roughly one month) for $12.

What else we considered

The 5 best whitening toothpastes dentists recommend for stubborn stains and sensitivity (6)

Ariana DiValentino/Insider

Relatively few products on the market bear the ADA approval seal, which our sources overwhelmingly told us was the best way to know a product's claims have been substantiated by research and thus the ones we can recommend to you most confidently.

That said, a product without the seal isn't necessarily ineffectual or bad — it just likely didn't undergo the organization's optional review process (which does cost money, so is difficult for smaller companies to obtain). Here are some other, non-ADA-approved products that came up in our research:

What else we recommend:

  • BURST Fluoride: This brand's fluoridated toothpaste also boasts a lack of sodium lauryl sulfate, along with parabens and artificial flavors and colors, but it tastes and feels perfectly normal.
  • Spotlight Oral Care Toothpaste for Whitening Teeth: This dentist-designed product contains fluoride for healthy teeth, as well as hydrogen peroxide for a quick kick of whitening.
  • Sensodyne Pronamel Mineral Boost with Gentle Whitening Action: While not currently bearing the ADA seal, this new product could be a helpful whitening option for those with sensitive teeth. It purports to help your teeth better absorb minerals such as calcium and phosphate, thus strengthening your enamel.

What we don't recommend:

  • PLUS ULTRA Mint Toothpaste: This toothpaste takes "natural" to another level, starting with its unique leafy green appearance. It doesn't contain sodium lauryl sulfate, and its plant-derived ingredients are organic — but it also lacks fluoride, so we can't recommend it.
  • Huppy Peppermint Toothpaste Tablets: Frequent travelers may appreciate that this paste comes in the form of tablets, complete with a little storage tin. Fluoride is left out as it instead includes a substance called nano-hydroxyapatite. But these tablets also contain charcoal, the safety of which is still hotly contested among dentists.
  • Luster Premium White Pearl Paste: This paste doesn't contain sodium lauryl sulfate or parabens, but it does contain fluoride (important) and one other notable ingredient: pearl extracts, which purportedly work as abrasives to buff off surface stains. There's no published clinical research on pearl as a tooth whitening agent, but telling people you brush your teeth with pearls will make you sound very fancy.

How I tested the best whitening toothpaste

The 5 best whitening toothpastes dentists recommend for stubborn stains and sensitivity (7)

Ariana DiValentino/Insider

In researching this piece, I consulted four dental professionals (see our expert sources below) as well as several published, peer-reviewed articles testing the efficacy and safety of various whitening toothpaste and active ingredients.

I also personally tried several kinds of the best whitening toothpaste to take note of:

Taste: Toothpaste is toothpaste, not candy, so we don't want to oversell the flavor of any of the products as "delicious" — but some pastes have strange, chemical, or overly-powerful flavors and aftertastes. Most of the pastes I tried had a simple, fresh taste that contributes to the overall clean feeling you want after brushing, but a few tasted mildly metallic or just plain unusual due to non-traditional flavoring ingredients.

Texture: Generally, toothpaste is either a gel or a paste and is pretty thick. I paid mind to see if any felt chalky, runny, or gritty, as well as how well they lather and spread around the mouth. Items that didn't make the cut usually felt weird in one of these ways.

Packaging/ease of use: It's not terribly common, but some toothpaste tubes are somewhat difficult to use because of poorly designed packaging. For example, one of the kinds of toothpaste I don't recommend, the Plus Ultra, is in a metal tube similar to what artists' paint comes in and was kind of a pain to squeeze. Conversely, all our picks have easy-to-open or -close caps.

There are two major categories of whitening ingredients in toothpaste: abrasives and bleaching agents. Most whitening toothpaste relies on gentle, enamel-safe abrasives that work to scrub off stains caused by eating and drinking.

Technically, they're not changing the color of your teeth, just cleaning off any gunk that might make them appear more yellow, which is why you may still want an at-home whitening kit to see a truly brighter smile.

Bleaching agents (like peroxide), though, can actually lift the color in the outermost layers of your enamel. However, they're less common in toothpaste because they need more than two minutes of contact to really work (hence, why whitening strips work – they hold the bleaching agent on your teeth for several minutes).

Bleaching agents can also be irritating and cause sensitivity. The only bleaching toothpaste that made our top picks, Colgate Optic White, actually creates a film that sits on your teeth, keeping them in contact with the hydrogen peroxide for longer than the few minutes you spend brushing.

According to Drs. El Chami, Hain, and Springs, the number one thing to look for when shopping for new products is the ADA seal of acceptance. Brands can choose to submit their products to the American Dental Association, a non-profit advocating for safe dental practices, for review to obtain its seal which signals that the dental community agrees there is enough research to substantiate that a product is safe and effective.

This is especially important when it comes to whitening toothpaste, as they tend to use abrasives like silica (the same stuff that makes up the majority of sand) to scrub off stains. The ADA review ensures those abrasives aren't doing more harm to your enamel than good.

The other thing you need to look for is fluoride, a mineral that strengthens enamel and helps prevent cavities. The naturally occurring mineral has been demonized by phony science, but the ADA, all our experts, and a whole body of research deem it not only safe in your toothpaste but also necessary for preventing cavities. Learn more in our FAQs.

The only ingredients dentists recommend avoiding are sugars, which improve the flavor of toothpaste but can cause adverse effects including tooth decay. Fortunately, the majority of toothpastes utilize tooth-safe sugar alternatives like xylitol or stevia.

FAQs

Does whitening toothpaste actually work?

Yes — just maybe not as well as you might hope. Dr. Salierno explained to Insider that over-the-counter whitening toothpaste is best at removing surface stains, but for a more dramatic whitening effect, professional methods are your best bet.

"The true whitening effect that patients are typically after is the result of the removal of intrinsic stain, or stain that is more deeply embedded in the tooth surface," Salierno said. "In order to get a great whitening result, patients would do well to have a professional cleaning first, and then use a prescription-strength whitening agent as directed by their dental team."

Bottom line: The best whitening toothpaste is safe and can be effective at removing surface stains — just don't expect a dramatic overnight transformation from over-the-counter toothpaste alone.

Is charcoal toothpaste safe to whiten teeth?

Charcoal is a trendy ingredient right now, making its way into food, cosmetics, and yes, toothpaste. The idea is that charcoal is able to absorb impurities and thus whiten teeth, but the clinical evidence isn't great: Reviews of laboratory studies suggest that charcoal isn't particularly effective as a whitening agent, despite its mildly abrasive properties. What's more, it has the potential to damage your enamel, discolor it permanently, and damage your gums, according to a 2019 study in the British Dental Journal.

More recent research supports the safety of charcoal toothpaste but dentists and researchers caution consumers that the charcoal actually runs the risk of scratching enamel or getting stuck in the gums and other crevices. Those with fillings should especially steer clear.

Is whitening toothpaste safe for my teeth?

For the most part, yes. While many whitening kinds of toothpaste use abrasive agents to scrub away stains, dentists and researchers generally find them safe and non-damaging to the enamel of your teeth. There are a few exceptions — see about charcoal, above — but for most people, whitening toothpaste doesn't pose a threat to dental health. Dr. El Chami does caution, however, that those with sensitive teeth may want to avoid whitening toothpaste in favor of something gentler.

Paul Springs, DMD, a prosthodontist who practices in Queens, New York, elaborated, adding, "Some brands contain grit particles that are too large, which irreversibly wears down tooth enamel. This is often an issue with charcoal or baking soda toothpaste made by unrecognizable brands, so I strongly recommend patients only use toothpaste with the ADA seal of approval to avoid that issue."

Just because a product doesn't bear the ADA seal doesn't mean it's unsafe, but lesser-known brands may use questionable ingredients (or even questionable forms of ingredients that are generally considered tooth-safe) that are too gritty and can wear down your enamel. The ADA seal is your confirmation that everything in the tube is safe for at-home use.

What's the big deal about the ADA Seal of Acceptance?

As we mentioned earlier, the ADA seal program is an optional review process in which companies may choose to submit a product to the professional organization for independent review to determine if there is sufficient research backing up the safety and efficacy of the product.

Because the review process is optional and potentially cost-prohibitive to smaller companies, there are many kinds of toothpaste and other dental products on the market that don't bear the ADA seal. This doesn't necessarily mean the products aren't up to snuff — but the dentists we consulted with highly recommend sticking to ADA-approved products to ensure you're getting a product that actually works and is safe.

As Dr. Springs put it, "Not having the seal isn't enough to condemn a product, but there is enough that [damage enamel] that I wouldn't risk chancing it."

Is fluoride safe?

The dental community is at a consensus that not only is fluoridated toothpaste safe, but it's also strongly recommended for the purpose of preventing cavities and strengthening enamel throughout your life.

In fact, the ADA will not grant its seal of acceptance to any toothpaste which does not include fluoride. This goes for standard as well as whitening toothpaste — ideally, fluoride is going to be included in any toothpaste you use daily.

Fluoride has been demonized by oversimplified health information and conspiracy theories for decades for supposedly causing dental staining and even cancer. While this is technically true of the chemical, it would need to be ingested in very large quantities to have these severe negative effects, far more than fluoridated water and toothpaste are likely to provide.

Our experts

Dr. Ben El Chami, DMD, is a dentist and the co-founder and chief dental officer of dntlbar, a family of Manhattan dental practices.

Dr. Chris Salierno, DDS, is a dentist and the chief dental officer of Tend, a family of dental practices with locations in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Dr. Courtney Hain, DDS, is a dentist who owns and operates her own practice, Smile San Francisco.

Dr. Paul Springs, DMD, is a prosthodontist who practices with Dr. Mondshine and Associates, a dental practice in Forest Hills, Queens, NY.

Ariana DiValentino

Ariana DiValentino is a writer, filmmaker, and et cetera based in New York. She is very, very worried. You can follow her on InstagramandTwitter.

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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.

The 5 best whitening toothpastes dentists recommend for stubborn stains and sensitivity (2024)
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