First off, you need to know that there is a difference between procedures for the whitening of teeth. There is bleaching of the teeth, which is the procedures that you are familiar with, and then there is whitening of teeth, which is actually the cleaning of the tooth enamel to allow natural things in your body to fix your enamel. When most people refer to teeth whitening, however, they are usually referring to the bleaching procedures. The next thing that you need to know is that there are two ways to achieve whitening of teeth: through the use of home whitening systems or by visiting the dentist. The dentist has a few different types of whitening procedures that can be chosen to provide you with the best results that you desire, but it is much more expensive and less private than the home whitening systems. Home whitening systems are available almost anywhere that sells toothpaste and other mouth care items. They can get rather costly when they start getting into more complex systems, and you will most likely need to do some touch ups more often than a professional whitening. Make sure that you have realistic and informed expectations from the procedure for whitening of teeth, regardless of which techniques that you decide to go with. You need to understand that not all results are the same for every person. If you have particularly more yellowing or staining than the average person, you may need longer or more frequent procedures. Also, the whole teeth whitening process is only temporary; you will need touch ups every so often as well. Another thing to know is the cost of the procedure that you choose for whitening of teeth. If you go the professional route, your costs can start at around $500-$600 and go up depending on how many treatments that you need. Home whitening systems are a lot easier on the pocket and can start at around $10-$20. Both methods can accrue to higher spending amounts because of touch ups. Home systems are not nearly as strong as professional treatments, in most cases, but they are still substantially less. This leads us to the next point. Whitening of teeth is not by any means a permanent procedure. There are a few things that make teeth whitening a temporary process. First, if you tend to drink a lot of coffee or you are a smoker, you will continue staining your teeth and reversing the whole process. Also, whitening of teeth fades over time simply due to regular eating and other things, so you will need to continue getting touch ups done. Finally, you need to understand that your results will vary. Some people get their teeth whitened and believe that they will have the same white smile that they had when they were children. The truth is that the results that you experience will be different depending on your teeth and how stained or discolored they are. Whitening of teeth is different for each person.