You don't have to go to the dentist to have your teeth bleached; there are whitening kits you can use at home to improve your pearly whites. However, this doesn't mean that everyone should resort to at-home dental bleaching; it may not be suitable for some people. However, you may be a candidate for at-home bleaching if:

 You Need Minimal Whitening

At-home whitening kits work, but they may not over you the extensive bleaching you may get from your cosmetic dentist. Therefore, this home-based option is only suitable for you if your teeth are only marginally discolored, and you are not hopping or planning for an overwhelming change.

Your Have Perfectly Healthy Teeth

One of the benefits of having your teeth whitened by the dentist is that they will give you an examination to determine whether there are any issues to be resolved before going ahead with the bleaching. For example, if you have dental diseases, its best to handle them first before whitening your teeth. Since you won't have such examination if you have opted for at-home bleaching, it's advisable to go ahead with it only if you are sure you have perfectly healthy teeth. This may be the case, for example, if you have recently had a dental consultation that revealed no issues.

You Have Extrinsic Teeth Discoloration

There are two major categories of teeth discoloration; intrinsic discoloration that affects the internal tissues of the teeth and extrinsic discoloration that affects the external surface of the teeth. It is only the external discoloration that at-home bleaching can whiten with; therefore, go ahead with your bleaching plans if you are sure this is what you are dealing with.

You Can Follow Instructions to the Letter

If you are whitening your teeth at the dentist, they will use their skills and experience to ensure that they do everything according to the accepted standards of practice. If you are bleaching your teeth at home, it is up to you to ensure everything runs smoothly. This means you will have to follow the instructions for use, as outlined in your chosen product packaging or accompanying leaflet, to the letter. This involves getting the specified amount of bleaching period for the specified duration – customization can be dangerous for your teeth.

The good news is that there are still teeth whitening techniques you can try, at the dentist, even if you aren't an excellent candidate for at-home bleaching. Talk to your dentist to help you figure out which route to take. Visit a site like http://www.pikedentistry.com for more information.