Options abound for consumers in search of brighter, whiter smiles, from dentist-supervised procedures, to bleaching spas and over-the-counter whitening kits, which are available from drug stores and over the Internet. But consumers should exercise caution, warns the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD).

Of particular concern to dentists are companies that sell professional-strength bleaching materials, which are intended for use only under a dentist's supervision, directly to the public via the Internet, late-night infomercials and shopping-mall kiosks. "Consumers have no way of knowing what they are getting when they buy bleaching products from these sources," says AGD spokesperson Myron J. Bromberg, DDS.

Reviewed: January 2012