For sparkling white teeth and an attractive smile you can go for a teeth bleaching or whitening process. You might start by consulting your dentist. She or he will suggest you whether whitening technique would be fruitful or not. She/he might also guide you on the procedure that could be best suitable for you, the cost and time needed for the entire process etc.

There are various types of teeth whitening techniques. Besides home based teeth whitening techniques there is office bleaching process. The later could be done at dentist's clinic. This chair side bleaching requires few visits to dentists office and each visit takes half an hour to an hour time on an average.

Bleaching may not appropriate for any teeth-type and discoloration. Bleaching is not effective for grayish or blackish teeth stains. But if your teeth have yellowish stains bleaching could be helpful to remove these stains. Bleaching might not help you if you have some repairing work or teeth colored fillings in your teeth.

Bleaching or any other whitener will not influence the colour of those filling or crowning materials. These will not match the newly whitened teeth. In such cases you have to opt for other options like dental bonding or porcelain veneers.

The in office whitening is safe and convenient but this will cost more than at home teeth whitening. You have to choose a right dentist for this purpose. During the in office bleaching process the dentist uses a gel or a rubber shield on your gums to protect your soft tissues. The dentist then applies an approved teeth whitening agent on your teeth along with a special light that enhances the shinning effect.

There are number of teeth whitening agents with ADA (American Dental Association) seal or approval from other authorized dental associations. This approval ensures safety and effectiveness. Lasers may be applied during in office teeth bleaching process to improve the action of bleaching. However, the use of lasers presently is not approved by the dental association.

The effects of teeth whitening are temporarily effective due to various factors. It can last for a long period but in most of cases satisfactory change can be found to last for three to five years. Some people are even found to be satisfied after seven to ten years.

Office based teeth whitening usually produce more durable results than at home tray whitening treatment. Recent study shows that individual who have undergone a teeth whitening never complained that their teeth had regressed back their original pre whitening color even many years after the whitening was done.