From Austin Powers' teeth to those of Angelina Jolie, the way is not so long if you use the shortcut of cosmetic dentistry. If all those years of smoking or drinking coffee have made you grow ashamed with your smile, all you have to do in order to achieve the desired smile is going through several sessions of teeth whitening.

Teeth whitening procedures lighten the color of teeth and do away with stains and discoloration. They are ideal for those who have healthy teeth and gums and want a brighter smile. Patients with yellow tones to their teeth are most likely to declare themselves satisfied with the results. Therefore, unless your teeth are yellow because of use of tetracycline or antibiotics during childhood, you are among the happy ones who can hope in excellent results from dental whitening.

Cosmetic dentistry offers several methods of teeth whitening, one of which will most certainly suit you, too. The first and cheapest one is the common whitening effect toothpaste. Actually, all toothpastes contain gentle polishing or chemical agents that provide additional stain removal effectiveness. However, whitening toothpastes can help eliminate surface stains only and do not contain bleach. None of the home used whitening toothpastes can come even close to producing the bleaching effect you get from your dentist's office. Whitening toothpastes can lighten your tooth's color by about one shade. In contrast, light-activated whitening conducted in your dentist's office, with specific cosmetic dentistry tools, can make your teeth three to eight shades lighter.

Other products you may use in order to achieve the teeth you have always dreamed of are whitening gels and stripes. Whitening gels are clear, peroxide-based gels applied with a tiny brush directly onto the surface of your teeth. Instructions generally require twice a day use for 14 days. Initial results are visible in a few days and they last for about 4 months.

Whitening strips are very thin, virtually invisible strips coated with a peroxide-based whitening gel. You need to apply such whitening strips twice daily for 30 minutes for 14 days. The results are similar to those of bleaching gels. These products contain a small quantity of hydrogen peroxide, the substance your dentist uses in order to whiten your teeth, but the results are weaker than those attained within a supervised cosmetic dentistry procedure are. Furthermore, these over-the-counter products do not benefit from the medical expertise that only your own dentist can provide.

So, let us get down to some serious business: teeth whitening performed within the dentist's office. There are several procedures that your dentist may use in order to restore your teeth's' original white. He or she will use a bleaching substance that will remove the stains of your teeth, laser bleaching or tooth veneers. The first technique involves the usage of a bleaching applied directly to the teeth.

Laser bleaching is a procedure where different concentrations of laser light help turn on the brushed-on bleaching solution, the usual hydrogen peroxide. Touch-ups are possible with your own custom at-home bleaching trays. This instant teeth whitening result costs about three times as much as gel bleaching, but the results are impressive, not to mention extremely fast. It takes about two or three sessions of only one hour in the cosmetic dentistry office in order to have spotless white teeth.

Dental veneers are thin coverings for the outer portion of your teeth. They enhance the appearance, color and shape of your teeth. They are ideal for mending chipped, weakened, discolored or misaligned teeth. The process of using dental veneers on your teeth is rather simple. In this procedure, the dentist first slightly removes the front portion of the faulty teeth. After this, custom-made veneers bonds and fix to that portion of your teeth. Ideally, it takes two sittings with your dentist to complete this procedure.