50 best oral care products, tested and reviewed

For some, oral care is like making dinner: Most people aren’t thrilled by the idea of it but you have to do it every day. You can order takeout when you’re out of meal ideas, but you can’t phone in brushing your teeth. That’s why having the best oral care products is key, especially if you want to prevent cavities, plaque buildup and bad breath.

“When you’re sleeping, your mouth dries out and your saliva cannot rinse away the leftover substances from whatever you ate or drank that day,” says Dr. Kandis Smith, General Dentist and Owner of SmileVana . “This is a perfect environment for the bacteria in the mouth to feed on these leftover food substances and produce an acid that dissolves the enamel of your teeth, which is essentially the process of how a cavity is formed.” This makes brushing, flossing, and other dental upkeep non-negotiable.

Over the years, NBC Select staff has tested hundreds of oral care products — some of which have won Wellness Awards . Below, we’re sharing our top 50 picks: from basic toothpastes to fancy water flossers and more.

Selected. Our top picks

Best toothpastes (general)

As basic as it may seem, toothpaste is important, and the right one will set the foundation for your oral care routine. Here are the picks that impressed our team after testing dozens.

1. Colgate Cavity Protection Fluoride Toothpaste

If you’re looking for a basic fluoride toothpaste that gets the job done, this is your pick (and ours too). It protects against cavities, according to the brand, and cleans teeth well and freshens breath, say reviewers. Its soft foam circulates easily, helping your whole mouth feel clean and refreshed. Just be mindful that it contains sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which can be irritating or drying for some.

Colgate Total Active Prevention Plaque Cleanse Whitening Gel Toothpaste

This NBC Select Wellness Award winner impressed our team. The paste turns into a thick, foamy lather as you brush, leaving your teeth feeling clean and fresh, according to our reviewers. Colgate also says that the foam dissolves plaque and lifts it off teeth, especially along the gum line.

4. Crest Pro-Health Clean Mint Toothpaste

Best whitening toothpastes

Our team takes whitening seriously, with many staffers exclusively using the whitening toothpastes below both morning and night. These toothpastes freshen breath, clean mouths and keep chompers looking pearly white.

5. Colgate Total Active Prevention Whitening Toothpaste

This Colgate toothpaste won a 2026 NBC Select Wellness Award for its long-lasting flavor and whitening abilities. According to Colgate, it removes surface stains, relieves sensitivity, strengthens enamel, and prevents tartar, plaque, cavities and gingivitis. According to our staffers, it cleans teeth and freshens the mouth without being overpowering.

“There’s a reason this brand is a classic. It’s just a great toothpaste. It leaves my teeth feeling clean and the minty taste lingers more throughout the day than the other options,” says NBC Select senior editor Nikki Brown . “I’ve tried so many weird and ‘fancy’ toothpastes, but I always come back to the classics because they get the job done.”

6. Opalescence Teeth Whitening Toothpaste

“This toothpaste actually whitens without making your teeth chatter or tingle when a slight wind blows,” says NBC Select editorial operations associate Jem Alabi . “The formula is gentle so I feel comfortable using it everyday without worrying about damaging my enamel. It doesn’t have the strong menthol burn that most toothpastes have.”

Alabi also says that just a dollop of the gel is enough for a good brushing session and that it foams up well. “My teeth have definitely whitened over the last few months. I drink tea almost every day and have seen years of stains go away with this brand,” she continues. She notices that her breath is a lot fresher, especially when she wakes up in the morning, and says that even though a tube of this toothpaste is pricey, “I think it’s worth it because it has lasted me such a long time.”

7. Sensodyne Pronamel Gentle Whitening Toothpaste for Sensitive Teeth

8. Colgate Optic White Renewal Teeth Whitening Toothpaste

9. Made by Dentists Ultra Whitening Toothpaste

10. Nu Skin AP 24 Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste

Best toothpastes for sensitive teeth

Not all toothpastes are the same, and if you have sensitive teeth, you know this all too well. “If you have sensitive teeth, you’ll want to look for a toothpaste that contains potassium nitrate, which is an active ingredient in many toothpaste products that help with sensitivity,” says Smith. These picks contain that ingredient (or others she suggests looking out for), are gentle on sensitive teeth, keep breath fresh and fight typical erosion issues.

11. Sensodyne Clinical Repair Whiten & Shine Toothpaste

This NBC Select Wellness Award winner stood out for its ability to whiten sensitive teeth without causing pain or discomfort. It has a minty flavor that’s not abrasive or overwhelming, and it easily comes out of the tube. While it doesn’t contain potassium nitrate, it does have stannous fluoride, an ingredient Smith says has antimicrobial properties that slow the growth of the bacteria that cause gingivitis and periodontal disease.

“I have somewhat sensitive teeth, so I’m always careful about what products I try out,” says NBC Select commerce editor Cory Fernandez . “This toothpaste didn’t give me any irritation and it didn’t burn at all.” Fernandez noticed that his teeth were visibly whiter — to the point of receiving compliments — after just a few weeks of use.

12. TheraBreath Sensitive Toothpaste

“When I was pregnant, I had a condition that caused me to throw up multiple times a day for the entire nine months — not only was it a bummer, it wrecked my teeth and made them super sensitive,” says NBC Select commerce editor Bethany Heitman . “My dentist suggested I switch to a sensitive toothpaste and after trying a few, this became my favorite. The minty taste isn’t overpowering and I find that it really does help my teeth from being overly sensitive to temperature.”

14. Colgate Sensitive Complete Protection Toothpaste

15. Crest Pro-Health Gum and Sensitivity Toothpaste

Best electric toothbrushes

Electric toothbrushes are popular because they do all the work for you, delivering several rapid strokes in the required two minutes of brushing. NBC Select picked the below for their standout features, including ease of use and battery life.

16. Philips Sonicare 6400 Electric Toothbrush

“I like this toothbrush, and it has all the important features dentists recommend looking for — multiple brush speed settings, timer [and a] pressure sensor,” says NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin , who tested the toothbrush for several weeks. “The battery life is also very impressive; I just charge it once a month. Plus, the brush head is very easy to put on and take off the handle.” While she finds the brush head small and prefers oscillation over vibration, she says that it’s a toothbrush she can use daily.

17. Snow LED Whitening Electric Toothbrush

“Snow sent me this toothbrush to try out years ago and I’ve been using it ever since. I love how soft the bristles are because my gums do not respond well to rough brushes,” says NBC Select senior editor Shalwah Evans . “The timer is perfect for me since I tend to overbrush, and the vibration feels nice. Between this and my toothpaste, I must be doing something right because people are constantly telling me how white my teeth look.”

Best manual toothbrushes

Sometimes you just want a manual toothbrush, or don’t have access to your electric one. During those times, reach for one of these top picks — they’re easy to grip and never need to be charged.

21. Oral-B Pro Health CrossAction Plaque Removal Toothbrush

“When I’m traveling I like to use a manual brush to avoid needing to charge my toothbrush, and this is my pick — I was introduced to it by my dental hygienist. I like that the extended bristles at the tip get in between my tight teeth. Not all manual toothbrushes get my teeth clean but this one always does, which is really important when I’m on vacation and eating and drinking lots of stuff all hours of the day,” says Evans.

22. Colgate Total Active Prevention Foaming Clean Toothbrush

“I’ve never actually enjoyed using a manual toothbrush until this one. It doesn’t make my teeth feel as clean as an electric one does, but it makes my mouth feel the most clean out of any of the manual options I’ve tested,” says Malin. “The bristles are soft but effective at scrubbing grime off my teeth and creating foam, and they cover a lot of surface area. The brush head itself is a great moderate size, too — not too small that I feel like it takes forever to brush, and not too large that it’s uncomfortable in my mouth.”

After using it for a little more than a year she still really likes it.

23. Bao Tea All-in-one Toothbrush & Tongue Cleaner