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• Steps: Use one stain removing and one teeth whitening wand daily
• Duration: One week
• Rating: 7.5/10

We’ve spent years self-conscious of discolouration on our teeth, especially on those with previous dental work, which are harder to keep in pristine condition. The most immediate positive to this kit was its ability to reach every nook and cranny. Each wand works by rubbing it over the surface of your teeth – a bit like a more precise toothbrush – which allows you to target these tough spots.

The method doesn’t feel too rigorous at first. Each evening we started with the stain removal wand before moving onto those designed for whitening. We weren’t entirely sure how extensive this process needed to be, as we feared such limited contact-time wouldn’t produce effective results, so we spent around two minutes gently using each wand.

Neither wand tastes great, but it’s a pretty standard minty dental product flavour. The instructions ask you to rinse at the end of each session, so even if you don’t like it you don’t have to put up with it for long. Otherwise, we had nothing to complain about from a comfort perspective. The wands couldn’t be easier to use, and we much prefer a few minutes of swiping each one over our teeth than sticking out half an hour of whitening strips. As they’re so portable, they’re also ideal to slip into your bag for top-ups while travelling away from home.

Read more: Does the Spotlight Oral Care teeth whitening system actually work?

There are only enough wands to last seven days, which is a much shorter time than most whitening kits. This didn’t seem long enough at first, and after assessing our results, we stand by that idea.

There was a definite improvement in our most stained areas. Surface-level discolouration had faded significantly, and colour was much more even across both rows of teeth. However, it didn’t quite live up to its claims of tackling deep-set stains, although we weren’t entirely surprised.

Neither wands contain hydrogen peroxide, which is a dentist’s go-to whitening trick, and instead rely on natural whitening ingredients such as sodium bicarbonate. The results were never going to be as dramatic as those achieved in a professional environment, but we were still happy with the subtle improvement.

In fact, for some people, the lack of these hardcore ingredients is actually a bonus. Bleaching solutions such as hydrogen peroxide are a common cause of increased sensitivity as they can damage enamel. Unless you’re looking to treat severe discolouration, kits like the Smile Science Harley Street professional teeth whitening wands serve as a less powerful – but considerably kinder – alternative method for glowing up your smile.

The verdict: Smile Science Harley Street professional teeth whitening wands

A lot of whitening products feel like an unwelcome addition to your daily routine, but the Smile Science Harley Street professional teeth whitening wands are gentle and extremely easy to use. At no point in one week of testing did they feel uncomfortable or time-consuming, which is a major plus for any beauty product.

Of course, the priority is teeth whitening. Although this kit contains wands, it doesn’t quite perform the dental magic you might be hoping for. Improvement is subtle, but enough to make a positive difference to anyone self-conscious about their grin. Even though we didn’t quite have pearly whites, it helped even out the shade of our teeth and eliminated plenty (but not quite all) of our surface stains.