Re: Teeth Whitening
A couple of years ago I decided to get my teeth whitened as they had become heavily stained. Being the sort of person who wanted instant results I decided to go for the "Rapid Blue Light" type of teeth whitening.
I spoke to my dentist about it. First he checked the health of my teeth and gums which included a scale and polish, as this would allow for more effective whitening. He advised that everyone was different and although my teeth would definitely be whiter at the end, he couldn't say just how white they would be. He also mentioned that it was likely that my teeth would become sensitive during the treatment but this would improve after a short while.
A couple of pictures of my teeth were taken before the treatment. I was in the chair for about an hour. Overall it wasn't too bad but near the end I was getting really fed up with it. My teeth were a little bit tingly but not painful. However I was disappointed by the results. When I looked in the mirror straight after the treatment I couldn't see any difference. When the dentist compared my teeth with the pictures taken earlier I could see my teeth were now a couple of shades whiter but I had really expected them to be a lot whiter.
I discussed another option with the dentist of having gum trays made for me, so that I could continue with the whitening treatment at home. These turned out to be more effective for me. I put a tiny amount of gel in the gum trays and left them in my mouth every night for about 2 weeks. There was a definite improvement but because they were whitening gradually over time, I didn't really notice the difference. It was only when I saw a picture of me that a friend had taken, I saw that my teeth looked TOO white!! It was almost like an un-natural type of white. So at that point I stopped using the gel every night.
By now my teeth were quite sensitive but brushing with Sensodyne toothpaste really helped a lot. Now that I only use the gel occasionally to top up my teeth whiteness, I don't really experience much sensitivity. I no longer buy the gel from the dentist as I found it cheaper on Amazon, "Dr George's Dental White Gel" which I only need put in my mouth for an hour or two, rather than overnight.
As others have said, the thing to bear in mind is that when whitening your teeth you have to avoid tea, coffee, cola etc (it's the tannins in these drinks that stain teeth, not caffeine) but also some foods will stain your teeth, especially anything with haldi (turmeric) in it. I found it too hard to avoid those foods completely but if I drink tea/coffee/cola I tend to use a straw.