There are two ways to keep your smile looking white.

You can grit your teeth, grab your wallet and go out for a professional, in-office treatment.

Or you can make whitening part of your routine, with effective, over-the-counter products. I recently tested toothpaste, rinse and a whitening kit from REMBRANDT®, readily available at Target, Walmart and other retailers and online sellers.

The line’s Intense Stain Dissolving Strips (MSRP: $20) are designed to combat the effects of tobacco, coffee and red wine, as is Rembrandt’s Intense Stain Tooth Paste ($7). If you haven’t used whitening products before, it’s a good place to start even if you avoid tobacco, caffeine and cabernet if you are intent on significantly brightening your smile.  

(To figure out which products are best for you, go to Rembrandt’s website and take a quick quiz. Consumers can zero in on products by factoring in their goals and personal info, such as susceptibility to canker sores. You also will find coupons for discounts.)

If you want immediate results, try the Deeply White 2 Hour Whitening Kit – a fast, enamel-safe way to whiten your teeth up to three shades in one fell swoop. It’s easy and it works. As Mom says, what’s not to like?

Maintain your pearly whites with Deeply White toothpaste and rinse. Some people don’t like the slightly medicinal taste. Personally, a find it preferable to sweet pastes and rinses that taste like dessert toppings. The toothpaste has a gentle, polishing effect, a lot like the feeling you get when you go to the dentist. Except you don’t have to leave home or rinse with those little paper cups.