The following Action News Extra report by anchor Wendy Bell first aired Nov. 7, 2005, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

---

Have you seen the infomercials for an at-home kit that uses a special light and some bleaching gel to brighten your teeth -- it says -- several shades?

With that $19.95 price tag, I had to give the WhiteLight Tooth Whitening System a shot.

It's no laser. Just a white light -- that secretly looks blue.

The seen-on-TV kit comes with a squishy plastic mouthpiece, a whitening gel, two lithium batteries and the light.

Dr. Alfred Cupelli, a cosmetic and restorative dentist, says he's interested to see if the stuff works.

Cupelli: "Everyone wants to look good. Everyone wants to have white teeth and look 10 to 15 years younger."

Cupelli tells us this magic goo is really 8 percent hydrogen peroxide -- not that dissimilar to what he uses in his office, just not as strong.

We asked three people to give the kit a shot.

Paul Wood: "I like my teeth. Everyone wants whiter teeth."

Using this professional shade guide, we matched Paul's tooth color before we try the kit. It looks like he's a "D-4."

Wendy: "This product says it can work in 20 minutes, all by yourself. You do it at home, no worries."

We squirt a line of gel into the plastic mouthpiece. Paul puts it in his mouth and inserts the light -- and the clock is on.

While Paul percolates, Matthew Hilk tells us he, too, would like to brighten things up.

Hilk: "I wish they were whiter. Who doesn't wish they were whiter? I think it's the movies. It's the media."

Matthew's teeth are a "C-3" right now. We fill up his tray and, like Paul, he's on the clock.

Wendy: "We're going to check back in with you in 30 minutes."

Our final kit goes to Amy Mullaney.

Before the treatment, Amy's shade is a "C-2." I fill up her tray, and her clock starts just as Paul's clock is winding down.

We get Paul's original D-4 shade and compare.

Paul: "It doesn't get your back, back teeth, just the front of them. I can tell a difference."

Wendy: "So what would you say? Worth it or not?"

Paul: "I would say it's worth it."

Paul went from a D-4 up to an A-1. Six weeks later, after using up all the gel, his teeth remain a bright A-1.

We showed Paul's results to Cupelli.

Cupelli: "That's an A-1? That's four shades. He lightened. There's no question."

What about Matthew?

Matthew: "I'm willing to try, but I'm a little skeptical for results. I did it four times, used up the tube of goo."

Matthew hoped to brighten his smile three shades, from his original C-3 up to A-1. He didn't quite make it, but he did brighten up to a B-2.

Matthew: "For $20, some improvement is definitely worth it."

Amy only used the kit once. She was a C-1. Now she's a B-1 -- a whole shade brighter in a half hour.

Amy: "I think there's definitely a difference. Not a huge difference, but you can see a difference."

Cupelli's verdict?

Cupelli: "Thumbs up. We find these products to be very useful for people who want to use an entry-level product, not spend a lot of money at first, just to see what kind of result they can get. Twenty bucks is pretty inexpensive."

The batteries on Amy's white light conked out the first time she used them. Cupelli says that's no problem. Even in dentists' offices, research shows lights and lasers do nothing to whiten our teeth. It's all about the peroxide gel and the amount of time you keep it on your teeth.

We found the WhiteLight Tooth Whitening System available on Amazon.com. Prefer to call toll-free? Phone Seen on TV at (866) 277-3366.