White teeth has become one of the must haves in today's beauty focussed society. Having discoloured teeth can really detract from your overall appearance. Whilst previously whitening your teeth involved costly trips to cosmetic dentist surgeries you can now whiten your teeth at home.

There are a number of ways you can achieve white teeth whilst at home, some of them are easily available from your local shop. For example, some toothpastes now claim to help whiten your teeth. Whilst effective at removing superficial stains, whitening toothpastes do not have the strength to remove stubborn stains and discolouration.

Next you can find teeth whitening gels and whitening strips, which are a fairly quick and cheap way to get brighter looking teeth. These use peroxide-based gels that you need to brush directly onto the surface of your teeth. They are not the easiest to use and rely on you evenly applying the gel to your teeth. There are some gels on the market that are not suitable for home use too, so be careful and ensure the peroxide-based gels are not too strong and are suitable for home use.

The most popular and easiest way to whiten your teeth in the privacy of your own home is with a home teeth whitening kit. The kits tend to use Carbamide Peroxide and should be under 16% to be safe and effective for home use. These kits involve putting the Carbamide Peroxide gel into mouth guards that are then worn for a certain period of time. The results depend on the fit of the mouth guards, the strength of the Carbamide Peroxide and the length of time applied. Some of the quality tooth whitening kits can give you up to 11 shades brighter teeth in just 2 weeks when using it for 30 minutes per day. Results will not be permanent but should be visible for 1 -2 years without having to re-treat them.

If you are looking to whiten your teeth at home then the most practical and effective solution would be likely a home teeth whitening kit. If you only have minor superficial stains then you could try the whitening toothpastes first and then try the home kits.