I was behind the bar a few weeks ago and was entertaining a first date couple drinking a heavy Argentine cabernet. Their date was going well, but the woman's teeth were stained a deep red. The lady excused herself to the powder room and came back five minutes later with clean white teeth. I was, in a word, amazed.

Her little secret was a touch up ampoule from Go Smile. Single use whitening stain removers are great for removing wine stains from teeth without the risk of leeching off the enamel. With a water based formula the scrubby oxygen bubbles work just like commercial teeth whitening, but they work quickly and can fit in pocket. They've been on the market for quite a while, but the gentle formula and handy applicator are perfect for sneaking off to discreetly clean up after holiday glasses of wine.

The whitening compound is contained within a glass tube. The tube is surrounded by a cardboard sleeve, and capped with a foam applicator tip. Just crack the glass tube (like igniting a glowstick) with a gentle squeeze, and lightly rub over the teeth. Gum resins in the whitener keep it on the teeth and working for a quarter of an hour as it naturally dissipates. Ampoules are available in mint, pear, or peach for a double action bit of breath freshening.

The ampoules are available directly from the company in a five pack for $8.00 or a thirty pack for $39.00. There's also a $29 seven piece refillable compact, but for the price you're better off buying one of the refills.