Does the Spotlight Oral Care teeth whitening system actually work? We find out
They say a smile is the best make-up a person can wear, but sometimes it isn’t that easy. Teeth discolouration can take its toll on your self confidence, and irritatingly it seems like all the best drinks cause it. Coffee, juice, wine and tea are just some of the worst culprits for staining your not-so-pearly-whites.
While plenty of toothpastes promise to brighten your smile, sometimes you just need something a little more heavy duty. At-home whitening kits are a thrifty alternative to pricey professional services, and have grown increasingly competent in recent years.
Spotlight Oral Care is the brand behind several of these options. Its teeth whitening system promises to brighten teeth from the comfort of your own home, with a combination of whitening strips and toothpaste.
Like all at-home options, it can’t use any concentration stronger than 0.1 per cent of hydrogen peroxide – the main ingredient responsible for whitening – while dentists can use up to 6 per cent. Inevitably, this means results aren’t as dazzling as those achieved in your local clinic, but as this kit (£39.95, Beautybay.com) was developed by actual dentists, we were optimistic it would still be an impressive alternative.
With visions of a Hollywood smile, we started treating our teeth to nightly whitening sessions. Read on to find out how our grin had improved two weeks later.
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Spotlight Oral Care teeth whitening system
Buy now £39.95, Beautybay.com
Steps: Strips and toothpaste
Duration: 14 days
Active ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide and fluoride
Rating: 9/10
Most at-home teeth whitening options come in the form of strips or toothpaste, but this kit offers both. Inside the minimalist, Instagram-friendly packaging you’ll find 14 days worth of strips and 100ml of toothpaste.
Both couldn’t be easier to use. We followed the recommended order, first applying the strips to dry teeth for an hour each evening before using the toothpaste in our usual nighttime routine.
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We were dubious about the strips at first, just because we expected them to feel sticky or uncomfortable in your mouth for such a long period of time. They took some adjustment, but it became easier and easier to forget you’re even wearing them as the days go by. Although they left a bit of residue, this was easily scrubbed off by the toothpaste.
As we were fully prepared to wait two weeks to see the results – if there were any results – you can imagine our surprise when, on day two, a friend noted that our smile looked brighter than usual. After a solid 15 minutes of examining our teeth in the mirror that evening, we noticed that they did in fact look like they’d lightened slightly.
It didn’t stop there. By the end of the fortnight, there was a definite improvement. Our tester’s canine teeth have always been a bit more discoloured than the rest, but the difference was far less obvious after using this kit. In fact, all of our teeth looked lighter than usual. Thanks to the toothpaste, we also felt like our teeth were fresher and cleaner than after using our usual go-go. Also, as it contains fluoride, it’s just as efficient at protecting your teeth as it is whitening them.
Read more: We tested the Philips Sonicare 5100 toothbrush
Of course, the results were never going to be as dramatic as after a professional whitening, but we were very impressed by what such a low percentage of hydrogen peroxide could achieve. There was no increase in sensitivity afterwards either, which was a big worry. While these kits often leave you vulnerable to very hot or cold foods and drinks, our tester’s already very sensitive teeth had no trouble with either after a full fortnight of using this kit.
The results were our priority, but there are a few other nice touches that boost this kit’s reputation in our eyes. It’s all vegan and cruelty-free, and you get a handy bag in case you ever wanted to whiten your teeth on the move.
The verdict: Spotlight Oral Care teeth whitening system
We’re usually pretty sceptical of at-home versions of beauty treatments, but this kit from Spotlight Oral Care was a happy surprise. At a fraction of the cost of a professional whitening service, it lifted the discolouration on our teeth more than we expected. And that was just after one 14 day round of strips – we can only imagine how much better the results would be with repeated use. For now, however, we’re content with brighter pearly whites.
Buy now £39.95, Beautybay.com
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For more whitening products, read our review of the best whitening toothpastes for a dazzling smile
