Strips are a crowded category, and I like comparing before I commit. The second grid is a small line-up from other names, each with its own personality and its own instructions, so read the box before the first application.

Lumineux's Tooth Whitening Strips are the ones I would look at if you want to try a strip from a smaller name. Hismile's V34 Teeth Whitening Strips are a whitening strip with its own timing, so follow the box. Then there are two from Crest: the 3D Whitestrips Sensitive White At-home Teeth Whitening Kit, which as the name suggests is aimed at people with sensitivity, and the 3D Whitestrips Professional White kit, the second of the pair.

My habit with strips is to start with the gentlest option and only move up if my teeth feel fine. Set a timer on your phone, wipe away any gel that sits on your gums, and keep your tongue off the strip. Stay away from acidic drinks straight after, because your mouth is more likely to feel a bit tender then.

I never expect a promised number of shades from any of them. What I look for is a brighter-looking result over a couple of weeks, which is honest and easier to be happy with. Photograph your teeth in the same natural light before and after, so you are comparing like with like.

Between rounds of strips, the everyday paste matters more than people think. The third grid is where I keep the daily upkeep: pastes and one corrector serum, all aimed at a whiter-looking smile without the strip routine.

Hismile's V34 Colour Corrector Serum is the odd one out, a colour corrector serum, made for the look of your smile. It is a cosmetic trick, more like a color-correcting primer than a treatment, and it is best used sparingly. Colgate's Optic White Pro Series Express White paste contains 5% hydrogen peroxide, which is stated on the tube. hello's Naturally Whitening Anticavity Fluoride Toothpaste in Mint is the everyday fluoride option. Boka's Whitening paste is fluoride free and built on nano hydroxyapatite, so read the label and think about what your dentist has told you before switching. Arm & Hammer's Advance White Extreme Whitening Toothpaste is the extra-whitening pick of the group.

What I would skip: using a peroxide paste every time you brush on top of strips. That is a lot of whitening chemistry for one mouth, and sensitive teeth tend to announce it loudly. Alternate instead, and take a rest week whenever your teeth feel tender.

I also like to keep one plain fluoride paste in the rotation for the days between, so the whole routine never depends on a single product. Brush gently with a soft brush, since scrubbing harder does not make teeth look whiter, it only makes gums complain. And keep expectations grounded: a brighter-looking smile that still looks like yours is the goal, not a piece of white plastic.

Here is how I would pace a whitening week. Start with a dental cleaning if you are due one, because stained buildup is not the same thing as stained enamel. Use the strips for the number of days the box says, and no more.

After that, rest. Give it a week before you decide if you want another round, and use that week to notice how your teeth feel with plain brushing. Go back to a gentle paste, keep up the oil pulling if you like it as a ritual, and floss. Coffee and red wine will do their work again, so a rinse with water afterwards helps a lot.

The test I trust is a quiet mouth. If nothing stings and the color looks a shade brighter in daylight, carry on. If your teeth feel sharp or sore, stop and book a dentist visit before you try anything else.