HiSmile is a popular teeth whitening method using sodium bicarbonate and a LED light. Pump a syringe of whitening gel into the mouth piece and turn on the light and this will whiten your teeth. We break down the HiSmile product below.

Cost. 4/10 HiSmile is an at home whitening kit that comes with 3 gel syringes. This costs $80 AUD and is 6 days of treatment. It’s really good to see HiSmile sell small portions of teeth whitening. If you wanted a two week whitening cycle you would buy either a refill of syringes or buy the whitening pen too. The whitening pen review is comming soon. There are lower cost whitening kit options which is why we have only given this a cost rating of 4.

HiSmile's best feature is it's duration of use. We recommend coupling this with hydrogen peroxide whitening by a dentist to keep your teeth white. Or as a standalone as previously mentioned if you have dark teeth. We don't think that this product can give you movie star white teeth. For that, you must use orally safe chemicals.

Toothpaste is used by everyone and it’s important to get one that’s good for cleaning. However you also want a tooth paste that whitens teeth and is safe to use.

A comprehensive review on the types of whitening toothpaste you should seek out, and the types you should avoid is as follows.

Cost. 8/10 Toothpaste is relitivally inexpensive when compared to other whitening methods. Although toothpaste is cheap, you can end up paying triple for the whitening range. Optic white toothpaste by colgate is our recommendation, however this will set you back around $9. There are a few iterations of the colgate optic white. Each with a different hydrogen peroxide level and this usually rises with price. This type of marketing by tooth paste manufactures isn't uncommon. But toothpaste is still a very cost effective way to whiten teeth.

Duration. 2/10 Whitening toothpaste is something you will need to continue to use if you want white teeth. Toothpaste is only on your teeth for 2 minutes and it’s not long enough to reach the inner layers of your teeth. However some whitening toothpastes, as previously mentioned, have hydrogen peroxide in them. You can put the toothpaste in a mouth guard and leave it for 30 minutes. This will make it more effective deeper in your teeth. Using whitening toothpaste will take a while to become effective and because of that we have rated it 2/10.

Effectiveness. 7/10 For an effective whitening toothpaste you’ll need to grab one with hydrogen peroxide. Probabily larger than 3% and the need for a good toothbrush can’t be understated. A hard toothbrush is good for whitening but bad for gums. Choose a hard brush if you’re careful. The toothpaste is only on your teeth until you rinse it out. Rendering it useless on deep stains. However, like activated charcoal it will cut through outter layer stains. You’ll need to watch out for microbeads. Microbeads have good whitening power but have been showen to get loged between the teeth and gums. Microbeads are included in some whitening toothpastes. The effectiveness of toothpaste as a whitener should be supplementary to other whiteners or regular dentist visits.

If you have the budget for whitening toothpaste get it. It’s a good supplementary item along with regular comprehensive whitening methods. Choosing and using whitening toothpaste takes no extra effort. Which is why we recommend use of a whitening tooth paste.

Is activated charcoal effective? Active charcoal is a great natural product for teeth whitening. Active charcoal is not easy to source in New Zealand.

Active charcoal if you don’t know, is fine medical grade coal used for abrasing the top layer of your teeth. This happens by applying the coal to a toothbrush and brushing your teeth. The charcoal is dense enough to remove surface stains from your teeth unlike your normal toothpaste. This is how you get a white smile.

Cost. 9/10Activated charcoal is very cheap when compared to other teeth whitening products. It’s cheap to manufacture, requires little to no research and development costs and has only one ingredient. The tubs however, are usually sold in small quantities so repeat purchases are necessary to achieve teeth like the Kardashians. All in all this is by far the cheapest teeth whitening method on the market.

Activated charcoal is easy to incorporate into your daily regime. After brushing your teeth you just apply the charcoal to your tooth brush and continue. To keep your teeth white just use as nessesary. The great thing about this product is that you don’t actually change the colour of your teeth you only remove stains that have you have accumulated over time. It holds true that you’ll need to monitor your diet to keep from undoing the progress you make with regular charcoal use. Oils from meats and fruits are finer than the outter layer of your teeth. They will absorb when used. This can be minimised by drinking water after eating. It takes longer to penetrate the lower teeth layers with activated charcoal, the duration of use should be ongoing.

Effectiveness. 6/10 Activated charcoal is a natural teeth whitening product. It’s very effective for short term whitening and making your teeth smooth. It’s abrasive properties takes all the recent stains that are sitting on the top of your teeth away. The layers beneth are too deep for the charcoal to penetrate. If you were to keep the charcoal on your teeth it could diffuse the stains out from the lower teeth layers and bring it to the top. This is the absorption properties of the coals. This is difficult to achieve because your cheeks and lips naturally hug your jaw removing the activated charcoal and this may make your teeth sensitive by absorbing the moisture out from the inner layers by osmosis. All in all the best results will be with ongoing use.

When using activated charcoal we found our teeth looked whiter and results came quickly. The charcoal is a great natural whitener. There are celebrities that boast the use of the charcoal whitening method and as long as you have prolonged use and keep an eye on your diet I’m sure you too can achieve great results.

1. Simmer sauce. It's the acidity in the tomatoes that piece your teeth with a reddish yellow hue. So even if you get the organic, all natural, New Zealand grown and produced pasta sauce your still at risk of tooth discolouration. To protect your teeth chew on some leafy greens beforehand to make a natural protective film on your teeth. This hinders the discolouration process and keeps your teeth nice and white.

2. Curry. It's fantastic and we know it stains clothes, now know it stains teeth. One property of curry is that it's oily and oil mixed with the deep colours of curry gives it strong enamel penetration. If you're eating curry thinking about this article, try and make it the last meal of the day. Because tarter and plaque build up on your teeth throughout the day. This gives teeth a barrier before you remove it (and the oily stains) by brushing before bed.

3. Berries. These sweet all natural fruits have dirty little secrets. The high acidity and the reddish reds combined leave a lasting impression on your teeth over time. A way to minimise this is to drink a glass of water afterwards. This minimises the time that the berries natural juice can stick to your teeth. Another tip would be to have foods with low acidity, like baking soda rich food or hard cheese. This helps neutralise the acidity in your mouth.

Teeth whitening has become so accessible now that it's not only a luxury that celebrities like The Rock or Emma Watson can afford. America is leading the charge and spent $1.4b on whitening products last year alone.

If you've always wanted a beautiful white smile and you wonder why your teeth have yellowed over time you're not alone.

Stains and discolouration can be caused after:

Braces. Coffee, cola, red wine and tobacco.Foods such as cherries, blueberries and pasta sauce.Accumulation of plaque and tartar deposits.Trauma to the teeth that may cause a brown, gray or black colour. Ageing.

There are many reasons for whitening your teeth, including:

The boost to your confidence and self-esteem that comes from a great smileA younger appearanceA special event such as a wedding, job interview or class reunionTo make a positive first impression on othersTo simply reverse years of everyday staining and yellowing