Because teeth whitening is so desired among people of all ages, just about every dental product you see advertised will make a claim of having a whitening effect on the user's teeth-including electric toothbrushes. One influence on the color of a tooth is extrinsic staining, otherwise known as the "surface stain." Because extrinsic staining lies on the surface of one's tooth, the abrasive effect of the dentist's hand tools and cleaning pastes can scrub this surface stain off. The scrubbing effect of an electric toothbrush over time, can dislodge some of possibly even all of the surface stain found on a tooth and have a whitening effect. If some areas the staining is too heavy to be completely removed by your electric toothbrush, you may need a professional dental cleaning. Once removed however, using an electric toothbrush could eliminate the gradual return of staining in these areas.