Ten years ago, the only people who whitened their teeth were movie stars. Now, if you are over 30 years old and you have not whitened your teeth you almost seem weird. You see teeth whiteners and teeth whitening systems advertised everywhere. When you go to the dentist, he/she may talk to you about tooth whiteners too.

If you want white teeth, there are four different ways to get there, listed here in order of cost:

• Whitening tooth paste

• Home whitening products like Crest Whitestrips and Colgate whitening fluid

• Home whitening "systems", which include trays and solutions that you apply at home

• Dentist whitening systems like Zoom

Whitening tooth pastes might work a little bit, but for most people there really isn't a noticeable difference.

This page has a nice review of different home whitening systems.

The dental approach has one big advantage — someone else does it for you — and one big disadvantage — the cost. Usually it costs $200 to $400 for your dentist to whiten your teeth. The nice thing is that it will work. If something does not work, your dentist will be there to solve the problem.

This page offers a very nice review of different whitening systems. Definitely check it out if you are looking for more detail.