whiten my teeth

Attempt #1: Baking Soda

Brushing my teeth with baking soda made them a tiny bit whiter, but wore off within a few hours.

Attempt #2: Crest WhiteStrips

Whitening strips made my teeth somewhat noticeably whiter, but wore off within a few days.

Attempt #3: Whitening Gel

My dentist made trays from molds of my teeth and I wore the trays with whitening gel every night for one week. The gel burned my gums a bit but now my teeth are now incredibly white!

I don’t drink coffee or smoke, but my teeth are an atrocious color. I don’t want to smile or even talk! I plan to make an appointment for a cleaning by the end of this week, but until then I’m considering pros/cons of:
1. whitening toothpaste
2. whitening strips
3. intense expensive dentist whitening
I’ll ask about my options during my appointment, but whitening strips are looking like a pretty good option right now.