Teeth whitening: you know you've thought about it! Who hasn't? With all the options available, most people have either tried to whiten their teeth or have wondered how to get the best results. Here is the run down on the three most popular teeth whitening procedures.

You can't turn on the television set or look through a magazine without being bombarded with ads for teeth whitening products. While you can purchase over the counter teeth whitening kits, if you want a professional looking smile, you need to choose a professional teeth whitening procedure. Professional teeth whitening products offer the greatest strength of whitener to give you a dazzling smile in the shortest amount of time. Teeth brightening or teeth whitening is one of the fastest, most cost effective ways to strip years from your smile, leaving you feeling and looking fabulous. Whether you use bleach strips, power whitening or custom trays, you can achieve brilliantly white teeth when you use professional products for the job.

You can choose from three different procedures. The best one for you will depend on the condition of your teeth and the size of your budget.

1. Whitening strips. Most of us are familiar with the idea of whitening strips. They are an at-home procedure, using adhesive strips with a whitening gel on them that the patient applies to their teeth on a twice-daily basis. While whitening strips will give some teeth lightening effects, but is only recommended for patients whose teeth have been perfectly straightened through orthodontics. For most patients, teeth whitening strips won't fit perfectly, so the end result from at home whitening strips will not be as ideal as with other methods.
2. For another at-home whitening procedure, teeth whitening can be achieved through custom trays with a bleaching solution. If you want bleached teeth, with better results than whitening strips can provide, you may want to try this system. In approximately 2 to 4 weeks, you can use custom trays, purchased through a dental health office, to achieve white teeth and a beautiful style. This at- home whitening system requires a compliant patient, as the trays need to be used every night for several weeks. When using custom trays at home, whitening may need to be delayed while a home fluoride is used in the custom trays to reduce teeth sensitivity.
3. Power Whitening - for the ultimate in teeth whitening, power whitening is the choice for dazzling white teeth in the fastest possible time. Power whitening is done in your dental health care provider's office, with custom trays duplicating your mouth. Because of the perfect fit, these custom trays provide the ideal whitening situation. Once the trays are ready, you can expect a two-hour session, wearing the hydrogen peroxide - filled custom trays. Because the peroxide gel is in full contact with the teeth for an extended period of time, the product can lift several shades of color from the teeth. The power whitening session will be followed up with home care, using the custom trays and bleaching solution for approximately one week. Power whitening will provide the best possible teeth whitening, due to the strength of the peroxide gel for an extended period of time and the perfectly fitting custom trays. Your dazzling white teeth will transform your smile and take years off your looks.