"Okay, so I have a slight obsession with my teeth. I paid thousands for traditional braces in order to straighten, I don invisalign trays at night as retainers, I floss regularly and brush vigorously with baking soda and peroxide toothpaste despite the fun and 'flavorable' (not a real word, but you get what I’m saying) alternatives on the market.  I even make regularly scheduled dental hygiene appointments. You get it, I take teeth seriously! That’s why I jumped at the opportunity to try advanced dental hygiene products for BET.com. This time around, I tried the Boie toothbrush for 21 days.  

"Day one, I was MAD excited! The modern and monochromatic design coupled with environmentally friendly packaging was simple yet intriguing. I’ve waited my WHOLE LIFE for an all pink brush with pink bristles!  It made me feel like I could leave it out in my own home or at my friends or boyfriend’s and it wouldn’t stick out like the sore thumb, visitor toiletry that it is. It was, for lack of better words, cool.  I actually showed a few of my friends the Boie Toothbrush and they too were quite impressed with the design.    

"In regards to functionality, the Boie has SUPER soft bristles. Softer than my 'soft' nylon traditional toothbrush straight from the dentist office. You couple that with my toothpaste of choice, and you get foam foam and more foam. Which made for fun mornings the first few days. I never used a toothbrush more comfortable on my gums. But a few days in, I started to notice that 'gritty' feeling you get mid-afternoon when residue settles on smooth teeth. I noticed that with the Boie I had to brush twice or even three times as often to get rid of hardened residue or tartar.

"By day 14, I noticed my bristles being all out of whack. More smashed star-burst shaped then the compact rectangle it started out as. The 'thermoplastic elastomer bristles' aren’t as durable as they advertise. Couple that with more brushing then usual to stay clean, and I gave this brush a major side-eye, although changing the toothbrush heads are easier than it’s electric counterparts.

"Overall, the toothbrush is pretty in pink but after 21 days I realized it wasn’t practical for me. My teeth are no whiter than I started and with the softest bristles on the planet, I’m not sure I can even repurpose this bad bo(ie)y for the edges of my hair or to clean my extensive shoe collection. #JustSaying." — Bianca Edwards, Talent Coordinator

Buy It: boieusa.com

"Of the four products I’ve tested in my goal for teeth-whitening transformation, the Binchotan Charcoal Toothbrush ($12.95), Botanical Teeth Whitening Pen ($29.95) and Copper Tongue Scraper ($9.95) have been my saving graces.

"My favorite part about the toothbrush is its minimalistic size, which helps me achieve a deeper clean into the areas of my mouth that a normal sized toothbrush might not allow. The botanical teeth whitening pin is also a necessary follow-up, and I’ve definitely seen the whitening scale on my teeth improve after a week of consistent use. I’ve never struggled with fresh breath, especially since I’m a huge mouthwash enthusiast. But the tongue scraper was an interesting experience. Even after gargling a mouthful of Listerine, my mouth doesn’t always feel clean after an hour or so, despite taking the necessary steps to maintain a fresh mouth. The tongue scraper is the last stepping stone toward that feeling.

"The Keeko powder, however, feels like run-of-the-mill baking soda, so I haven’t noticed much of a difference from using this alone, though I do appreciate its multipurpose versatility. I’d much rather use the activated charcoal powder instead, as I believe it could be an advanced step in teeth whitening.

"Overall, I’d rate my whiteness a 7 after these products, and Keeko’s aid in that has been instrumental. The awesome part about the products is that you can pretty much use them in any order as well (with the exception of the whitening pen, which should always be used last due to its application recommendations). I’ll definitely be purchasing more products from Keeko after this trial." — Diamond Hillyer, Music Writer

Buy It: keekooil.com

"I have Invisalign, so since I started my treatment last January, I only been using one particular brand of toothpaste due to the sensitivity of my teeth. However, I was excited to try something new.

"I brush my teeth at least 2-3 times a day in general. And I don’t drink liquids that tend to stain one's teeth like coffee daily. But I do drink red wine I would say weekly. I wasn’t too thrilled about the taste of the product, and it felt like it was the most potent toothpaste I have owned! I became concerned how abrasive the paste felt and looked up the indigents. I can report back that it wasn’t anything harmful inside of the product—I guess it’s an acquired taste!

"I can't say that I saw any dramatic results with my teeth regarding whitening. However, I did notice a more professional polished look to my teeth after using the product. I would rate my whiteness a 4 out of 10. The shine the toothpaste provided was noticeable. The idea of the toothpaste is impressive since it doesn’t require strips, lasers, and all the other nonsense that comes with DIY whitening kits. I will continue to try the product until it runs out to determine if I will see a noticeable difference overall compared to my toothpaste of choice. My recommendation is to brush softly to avoid damaging your enamel." — Maurice Wiggins, Men's Lifestyle Writer

Buy It: Walmart.com

"While I loved the super cool packaging, and was very excited to try this method, the whole process was certainly a hassle. The kit comes with Whitening G-Vials ($54 for 7 pack), the blue light, a lip balm, the mouth piece that connects to the blue light, and a charger for the light. Before the very first application you have to charge the light for a full four hours before you are ready to go.

"What is most annoying about this method is the fact that you have to whiten for a total of 32 minutes, but eight minutes at a time for four applications. That wasn’t fun at all as every eight minutes you have to get up from what you are doing to rinse off the mouthpiece, re-apply the whitening gel AND the lip balm. But overall, the product did significantly whiten my teeth." — Yakira Young, Editorial Assistant

Buy It: Gloscience.com

"The Boka Brush is downright beautiful, though it did take a while to get used to its towering height, as it put my stumpy Oral-B to shame. Longer than a usual drugstore electric toothbrush, the Boka Brush is a handful––but a powerful one. With three settings that all prove to be dentist-quality glorious, the Boka Brush feels like you just got a cleaning from Dr. Smiley, and I think it may have something to do with those activated charcoal bristles.
"Aside from the praise, however, I do like to revel in bubbly goodness while brushing my jibs, and Boka’s Ela Mint toothpaste($10) wasn’t be a great match for that, as the naturally derived formula does not create suds like its Colgate counterparts. And luckily I was familiar with 'oil pulling,' an age-old beauty secret that encourages whisking a spoonful of coconut oil in the mouth daily, otherwise the brand’s Cocorinse ($20) would have felt way too foreign in comparison to, say, Listerine; that zinging, minty, post-rinse feel is not to be expected.
"But if you’re still around after a few deviations from your usual oral care regimen, Boka’s system will prove to have your tongue gliding more smooth across your teeth than you’ve probably ever felt. This must lead to a whiter grin eventually…right?" — Iyana Robertson, Music Editor 

Buy It: Boka.com

"Before starting this teeth-whitening journey, I was super excited at the fact that I would come out with this million-watt smile that would be blinding to all those who dare to gaze. The actual results as Dr. Marc Lowenberg suggested would be a lot more realistic. Fun fact, the whiteness of your teeth is totally genetic—total bummer. Since I was not blessed with super white choppers naturally, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to have my teeth professionally whitened.  
"In retrospect, I would have been a bit more hesitant. Everyone raves at the results, however they fail to mention how painful this procedure can be. The actual session takes about 45 minutes (three rounds of brightening via UV and bleaching mix for 15 minutes). Once the rounds were finished, the dental assistant went through the after-care to increase/maintain the results of the bleaching.  

"She then mentioned one of the side-effects of this treatment, called "zingers," which she described as sharp pain that you feel rip through your teeth. I thought nothing of it when I was in the office as I was impressed with my results and kept looking at my smile. After, I proceeded to work as normal, until I felt a sharp pain, which felt like it was coming from my nerve endings in my teeth. It was so bad that I gripped the edge of my desk with my eyes closed in agony. I would say the zingers lasted for about 48 hours.  

"After you deal with the zingers, you have to deal with the teeth trays that you fill with bleaching solution and wear for 30 minutes for one week, and then apply once a month. During this time, food with dark coloring is prohibited. So goodbye to red wine, curry, coffee, etc. The teeth trays can be a bit unsettling as well due to the burning sensation of the burning solution and the sensitivity of your teeth.
"Apparently, the Zoom procedure can cost anywhere upwards of $1,000+ per session. For the amount of pain that you have to endure, this would not be my first choice in selecting a teeth whitening solution. If there was a more comfortable way to achieve a brighter smile I would go with that option. After the procedure, I would say my teeth are only about three to four shades whiter. I'm pretty sure I could have achieved the same results with strips and a whitening toothpaste." — Jacqueline Smith, Executive Assistant  

"The kit I had came with a blue light that you held over your teeth for five minutes to intensify the impact of the whitening. It made my teeth tingle a bit but it felt like it was working, even if it wasn’t. Between day one to three, my teeth felt sensitive while in treatment and strips are not an easy fit—they slide off a bit. However, I did notice a difference of my teeth when I looked at myself in pictures. They looked brighter. I discontinued after eight days and not 10 days because of too much sensitivity." — Maureen Carter, Vice President of Design & UX

Buy It: Walgreens.com

"I think the brush did a pretty good job as far as whitening goes. I started to see results after only a week of use. The brush is pretty lightweight and easy to use, but slightly difficult to brush on an angle. The stain erasers were pretty easy to use as well. They were really minty and also made my breath feel pretty fresh after each use." — Tiffany Ervin, Segment Producer/On-Air Host

Buy It: Target.com 

"I’m vegan so I was super hype that this product was too, and that it's bleach-free. I’m also always on the move, so I liked its portable design, and no-fuss application. But I have to admit that I was also skeptical of its whitening powers for all these reasons as well, especially after I found out it was available for only $22 at Sephora.

"How much difference was this little $22 pen going to make when folks are dropping hundreds of dollars to get their smiles to Gucci Mane status? A LOT. This pen is basically magic. I saw a difference my teeth after one day of use (a slight one, but still). After a week, co-workers and even my neighbor noticed my brighter smile.

"According to the directions on the box, for 'optimal results' you should use it up to four times a day, so that was a little annoying at first. However, after I saw the effects, I was addicted and ran through my pen in about three weeks." —Jazmine Ortiz, Lifestyle Editor

Buy It: TarteCosmetics.com