Everyone wants the most flattering, blingiest, and sexiest come-hither lipstick. Traditionally pinks and reds are best to brighten your grill, but before you raid the MAC makeup counter, you might want to take a good look at what your mouth looks like naked. What’s those pearly whites looking like these days? Dentists have been getting away with highway robbery with their one-hour, kabillion-dollar whitening services, but the fact is that unless your mouth is doubling for a Motel 6 neon sign, over-the-counter treatments are just as good–they just might take longer.

Because I drink decaf coffee and (sometimes) copious amounts of red wine, I have to whiten my chompers every year or so. The best OTC tooth whitener I’ve tried was Go Smile, but I’m mad they sell that stuff at Sephora, which only jacks up the price. On the cheapie end of the spectrum, I’m convinced whitening toothpaste is little more than a marketing gimmick. However, there’s one product I tried about a year ago with some good results called Dentisse, a toothpaste that removes stains with kaolin clay and bentonite clay. It’s works as more of a polish than a whitener though. Definitely worth the $16.99. I made mine last by just using it before bedtime and opting for Crest in the AM.

Right now I’m using Smile Sciences, a whitener about the size of a tube of lip gloss that you apply twice a day. The company claims the ingredients are “Rx strength,” not sure what that means exactly, but the bubbles I feel against my lips after I apply it makes me think there’s quite a bit of hydrogen peroxide in it.

This is the most basic of the company’s offerings, and at $78 it’s the most economical. I use it twice a day after my morning and evening brush.

For those of you who are particularly cash strapped, try Dr. Oz’s home-made tooth whitening remedy:

Dr. Oz’s  Teeth Whitening Home Remedy

Ingredients
Baking Soda
Lemon

Directions
In a small bowl, mix a little bit of baking soda with the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon. The mixture should bubble slightly.

Using a cotton swab, wipe saliva and excess plaque from your teeth before brushing on the mixture. Leave the mixture on your teeth for a minute before gently brushing it off with a toothbrush.

Don’t leave the mixture on your teeth for any longer than a minute; the acid erode tooth enamel.

So…what are you guys using to keep your grills glowing?