Beauty Review - Teeth Whitening - In Preparation For My Wedding

I've always wanted to get my teeth whitened since I'm such a perfectionist and love everything beautiful - have been wanting to do so for the longest time but really didn't know which option to go for nor the place to have my teeth fixed. Having the set of perfect teeth and smile is definitely the way to go for a perfect photo moment, and what's not the best time to have them whitened before my wedding next month? 

This is my dentist who's gonna help me get my teeth fixed before my big day - super stoked! I haven't had my routine dental check in a year, and the time was before giving birth to baby F. till now, oopsie* I really haven't found time for my yearly checks and I know it's not an excuse, but thankfully there were not any major fixing to be done *phew*.

Teeth whitening procedures are generally considered as low-risks treatments and thus suitable for most people. But still my dentist had to first access if I was a suitable candidate for teeth whitening treatments, so that he could advise what I could expect of the results.  I was told that people with thin enamels would not get as good results as those with thicker enamels.

Other candidates who may not be suitable for teeth whitening are those with..

~ "fake teeth" such as veneers, crowns, bridges, fillings - as only natural teeth would respond to bleaching,
~ those with "white spots" on their teeth - as these spots may become more noticeable after whitening,
~ those with extremely sensitive teeth - as this could exacerbate the condition,

This was me before any treatment and my teeth were a mixture of colour #A2 and #B2. My dentist advised that after religiously completing my whitening treatments, I could potentially achieve up to the first few colours on the teeth colour chart - can't wait!!

So there's actually a few options of teeth whitening treatments to choose from:

1. Chair-side Whitening - this method will take a few weeks of treatments and trips to your dentist. After a consultation, you will have a mould of your teeth made into cast using dental putty. This cast will then be used to create a custom-made tooth whitening tray for you and will be used with every visit to your dentist for the (literal) chair-side whitening procedure. The procedure is done by first applying a protective shield to your gums. then the tooth whitening tray is filled with bleaching agent and worn like a mouth guard. The bleaching agent will oxidise stains and get into the enamel, lightening their shade. This process takes between 30 minutes to an hour. The frequency of visits to your dentist depends on the results you are trying to achieve.  

2. Dentist-provided Home Whitening Kit - this is essentially the same as the chair-side whitening except that you will be doing the treatments at the comfort of your home. Your custom-made mould would be created the same way, then your dentist will instruct you how to perform the rest of the procedure in your own home. This teeth whitening option is less expensive compared to chair-side whitening and useful for those with busy schedules who are unable to make repeated visits to the dentist.

3. Laser Whitening - this is a quicker and more expensive treatment out of the three types of teeth whitening treatments mentioned. The laser whitening works by applying teeth whitening gel and then shining a powerful light (aka the laser) on your teeth to accelerate the process of removing the internal tooth stain. The whole process is very quick and you should be done in less than 2 hours. Some patients experience instant improvement but some may require home-whitening in addition. It all depends on the level of stain on your teeth.

My first visit to the dentist was for consultation, cleaning/ fixing up my teeth (if necessary), and getting a mould of my teeth for the custom-made whitening tray. Came back for my 2nd visit a week later to try the whitening trays out and my dentist also taught me how to perform the whitening procedure at home. I was "warned" that any form of teeth whitening would cause teeth sensitivity to almost every patient, and the only difference would probably be the pain level being different for everyone. Even though I didn't liked the idea of having sensitive teeth, I was sure I would be able to handle the sensitivity - I just haven't felt any sensitivity in my teeth for years already so was not really excited to feel it now.

Got home that night and took the teeth whitening set out to look-see; the Opalenscence Tooth Whitening System set consisted of 8 syringes of teeth whitening gel, a whitening toothpaste, instructions manual, teeth colour chart, and a travel pouch. I was given a pair of teeth whitening trays in a box to keep the trays when not in use.

My dentist advised that the effects of (dentist-provided) home whitening kits are comparable to laser teeth whitening and by going for the home-kit, I'd be able to save more than half as compared to the latter. I would be able to use the whitening trays again in subsequent years (or anytime necessary) so long as I have the whitening gel on hand. Was told that it is actually a very common regime for those in the service line to use teeth whitening products in a frequent manner. Sounds really easy eh?

Had to take another not-so-unglam selfie with the teeth colour chart - before treatment my teeth were a mixture of #A2 and #B2. And just sidetracking a little, I actually didn't have any mascara or contacts on.... My "makeup look" was created with some makeup filters which I recently started playing around with. Super convenient can! I usually only head out with concealer, blusher, and eyeliner so this was a really great and convenient way for me to "prettify" myself for my blog pics. Had to share 'cuz I think my eyes look chio here, hurhur.

Just to let you have a close-up look of my teeth whitening trays....

The whitening trays feel somewhat plasticky/ rubbery to touch, and was soft/ bendable. 

To use the whitening home-kit, 

• brush teeth thoroughly with the provided Opalescence whitening toothpaste followed by flossing, 
• then fill trays with Opalescence whitening gel - a drop into each teeth/segment should be sufficient and you need not apply right to the ends of the trays as usually your last few teeth will not show when smiling.
• secure trays onto both upper and lower teeth and make sure the trays are snugly in place,
• keep trays on teeth overnight for a good 8 hours* and you may remove them in the morning. 
  (* duration may be advised differently depending on the level of stain on teeth)
• please brush teeth (in the morning) with your usual toothpaste or a toothpaste for sensitivity if you need to manage the sensitivity. Make sure not to swallow rinsed gel.
• you may either use toothpaste & toothbrush to gently clean your whitening trays, or water with your toothbrush is fine too.
• repeat the nightly wearing of trays for 14 days (for optimal results).

So this was how I looked like with the whitening trays (was just testing out with no filling in it).... you can see that there's a fine space between my teeth and the trays, it is to hold the whitening gel to kinda like "soak" teeth in it.

And some things to take note of for the home whitening kit:

• Teeth sensitivity and gum irritation may result from ill-fitting trays, over-filling of bleaching agents, or having bleaching agents on for an extended period of time. Both are usually temporary and stop around 2 days after the treatment.
• If excess bleaching agent spills out from trays to gums, do use clean fingers to make sure the gels are wiped off as it may cause gum irritation.
• Sensitivity can be managed with toothpaste for sensitive teeth, or on worse cases to manage sensitivity/irritation with pain killers.
• Avoid food and drinks that are too hot/cold to prevent unnecessary teeth sensitivity.
• If you experience any significant sensitivity, stop your treatment and talk to your dentist.

And ta-dah~~~~~~ My teeth after 14 days of treatment. No filters, no editing of photos - what do you think? My teeth are now obviously a few shades lighter, and as advised by my dentist my teeth are now officially in the top shades of the natural white palette. They may look a tad uneven and we suspect it's b'cuz I was too thrifty on my gel usage. I should have had 2 syringes left but now I have 3! Bummer. Anyway the left over gels can be used as boosters whenever I need. I'll likely return for a round of laser to even them out....

Throughout the 14-day course, there was minimal discomfort and I didn't use any "help" to manage the sensitivity. There were only times I had to snack on certain foods like salty-foods because the sensitivity caused me to salivate and my tongue felt "siap-siap" and the only thing to relieve that sensation was my salted popcorn - hahahaha. Apart from that, the only other things I had to avoid was food and drinks that were either too hot or too cold - just to keep the sensitivity at bay.

I would like to highlight that it is recommended that if you choose to use a bleaching product, to seek consultation with a licensed dentist. A thorough oral examination is essential to determine if the treatment is suitable for a patient. I personally do not believe in products being sold online as we do not really know if they are safe or effective. Better be safe than sorry!

Feel free to leave comments in the comment box below if you have any questions regarding this topic and I'll try my best to answer if it's not already stated in my blog above. Thanks for reading! : D

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