It's January and you're thinking ; I want to whiten my teeth and I don't know where to start! With a plethora of information in the media regarding tooth whitening, it's hard not to get confused about which system works and what one should spend their hard earned money on. Some dental clinics push laser tooth whitening, others veer toward the overnight whitening trays and gel system, while a lot of people will turn toward shop bought whitening toothpastes and mouthwashes or even the home made, lemon and water technique! In the quest for bright, white sparkly teeth, which techniques works best and is value for money? Certainly, shop bought whitening tooth pastes and mouthwashes do not "bleach " teeth. They do not contain hydrogen peroxide , which is the active ingredients that actually lightens the colour pigment naturally occurring in teeth. They can be called "whitening" as they contain silica particles, which can help remove surface extrinsic stains and therefore can be marketed as whitening toothpastes. Laser tooth whitening is disproved by the dental council of Ireland so the system favoured most by myself as a dentist and the majority of other dentists is the" tray system". The Dental Council of Ireland have strict guidelines on how tooth whitening should be carried out. Here a hydrogen peroxide solution is placed into custom made trays which are worn nightly for 1-2 weeks until a whitening result if achieved. So forget about telling your cousins in America to bring you home whitening strips by the bucket load when they are home in the summer and invest in good quality whitening trays and whitening gels, you won't regret it!