text: I am familiar with these questions as I too have had the same 'dilemma'.  Here is what I was told by my dentist and representatives from several (I shopped around) tooth whitening companies:\n\n1) A residual glue that you cannot see nor can dentists/orthodontists remove by simple polishing of the teeth after the braces are removed can remain on the surface of the teeth for up to four weeks after the braces are removed.  If whitening is attempted before all of the glue comes off naturally, the potential for 'spots' or streaking on the teeth from uneven whitening increases.  Therefore, I would suggest a minimum of three to four weeks before I would use any type of strong whitening outside of toothpaste.\n\n2) Despite all of the RELATIVELY expensive tooth whitening toothpastes on the market, you can use a simple home remedy of baking soda on your toothbrush after regular brushing.  This works as good, if not better than a toothpaste, and is cheaper.  It does not taste great though.  The problem with the 'painted on' whiteners is that they do not last very long, and over the long haul, they will cost A LOT to maintain.  The alternatives to bright white from Target or Wal-mart are effective, but do not last nearly as long as those that you can buy from your dentist (Brite White and Zoom).  While these are significantly more expensive than store brands, they will last one to two years without outside maintenance, and they are more effective.  You could also do an in-office whitening which speeds up the whitening process (1 afternoon vs. 2 to 3 weeks with Bright White), and costs roughly the same.\n\nToothpastes merely remove surface stains like coffee/smoke/food from chronic build-up over the years, and only work to 'whiten' them close to back to where they were before, but Zoom or BriteWhite will whiten them well beyond what you can get from a toothpaste or naturally.