Whitening toothpaste that works

Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste and Gel has the best record for whitening: 31 of 35 reviewers said their teeth looked whiter. Sensodyne Repair & Protect Whitening Toothpaste has the highest share at 14 of 15, but that rests on a smaller group, and 31% of its reviews mention gum or mouth irritation.

  • 128 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • Aug 2020 to Sep 2026

Updated . How we count

Did teeth look whiter? What reviewers said
  1. Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste and Gel 35 said either way
  2. Sensodyne Repair & Protect Whitening Toothpaste 15 said either way
  3. Sensodyne Extra Whitening Toothpaste 27 said either way
  4. Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening Toothpaste 20 said either way

Share of reviewers who stated an outcome for whitening. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Best record Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste and Gel 31 of 35 say their teeth looked whiter See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

The Sensodyne pastes get praise for comfort as well as color: 68% of Pronamel Gentle Whitening reviews and 54% of Extra Whitening reviews say their teeth felt less sensitive.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points reviewers repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1

Crest

3D White Brilliance Toothpaste and Gel

31/35 say their teeth looked whiter

It pairs a toothpaste with a whitening gel, and 78% of reviews say their teeth looked whiter. 20% like the clean feel, while 18% mention gum or mouth irritation.

What buyers praise

  • Clean feel 20%
  • Good value 13%
  • Less sensitivity 8%
  • Good taste 5%
  • Fresh breath 5%

What buyers complain about

  • Gum or mouth irritation 18%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 31 of 35
  • Brand site 4 of 6 shown, not counted
2 Sensodyne Repair & Protect Whitening Toothpaste

Sensodyne

Repair & Protect Whitening Toothpaste

14/15 say their teeth looked whiter

Nearly everyone in a small group saw whiter teeth (14 of 15). Gum or mouth irritation is the common complaint, at 31% of reviews, and 12% say their teeth stayed sensitive.

What buyers praise

  • Less sensitivity 19%
  • Fresh breath 12%
  • Clean feel 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Gum or mouth irritation 31%
  • Still sensitive 12%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 14 of 15
  • Brand site 5 of 5 shown, not counted
3

Sensodyne

Extra Whitening Toothpaste

23/27 say their teeth looked whiter

Reviewers praise it on two fronts: 62% say their teeth looked whiter and 54% mention less sensitivity. 11% saw no whitening.

What buyers praise

  • Less sensitivity 54%
  • Clean feel 19%
  • Fresh breath 11%
  • Good taste 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Bad taste 5%
Where buyers said it
  • Target 23 of 27
  • Brand site 6 of 7 shown, not counted
4

Sensodyne

Pronamel Gentle Whitening Toothpaste

16/20 say their teeth looked whiter

It has the weakest whitening record here at 16 of 20, and 16% saw no change in color. Reviewers like the taste (44%) and say their teeth felt less sensitive (68%).

What buyers praise

  • Less sensitivity 68%
  • Good taste 44%
  • Good value 8%
  • Clean feel 8%

What buyers complain about

No repeated complaints yet.

Where buyers said it
  • Target 16 of 20
  • Brand site 5 of 6 shown, not counted

Where these numbers come from

The 4 products ranked here carry 17,761 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about whitening, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between Aug 2020 and Sep 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (0 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Target also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. We show them on product cards but never count them, because brand-site reviews run more positive than store reviews of the same products.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

Skin type, skin tone and age splits use what reviewers chose on Sephora's review form (and age on Ulta's when given). We only show a split when enough reviewers fall on each side.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most reviewers here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste and Gel Target (40 reviews counted)
  2. Sensodyne Repair & Protect Whitening Toothpaste Target (26 reviews counted)
  3. Sensodyne Extra Whitening Toothpaste Target (37 reviews counted)
  4. Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening Toothpaste Target (25 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which whitening toothpaste actually works?

Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste and Gel has the best record (31 of 35). Sensodyne Repair & Protect Whitening Toothpaste has the highest share at 14 of 15, from fewer reviewers, followed by Sensodyne Extra Whitening Toothpaste (23 of 27).

How is Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste and Gel different from regular toothpaste?

It comes with a whitening gel that you use along with the toothpaste. 78% of its reviews say teeth looked whiter, and Crest's own site is less positive at 4 of 6, which we show but don't count.

Can whitening toothpaste irritate your gums?

Some reviewers say it did. 31% of Sensodyne Repair & Protect Whitening Toothpaste reviews and 18% of Crest 3D White Brilliance Toothpaste and Gel reviews mention gum or mouth irritation. Follow the label. Ask a dentist about sensitivity or bleeding gums, and check with a dentist before whitening if you have crowns, veneers or fillings.

Related problems

Teeth whitening kit Teeth whitening that actually works Top pick: Crest 3D Whitestrips Professional White with Light 197 buyer reports Teeth whitening kit Teeth whitening for sensitive teeth Top pick: Lumineux Teeth Whitening Strips 200 buyer reports Mouthwash Mouthwash that doesn't burn Top pick: SmartMouth Original Mouthwash 74 buyer reports

HiveTried earns a commission when you buy through the "See price & reviews on Amazon" buttons. It never changes the ranking: the order comes from buyer reports only, and a product gets an Amazon button only when buyers here say it works.