Archives for April, 2014

A white wedding – Part 4

My teeth whitening journey from ‘no, I can’t’ to no looking back

Some decisions we make and never regret. For me, it was saying ‘yes’ when my now-husband proposed.

Deciding to have my teeth whitened was another. Admittedly it wasn’t an immediate ‘yes’, unlike my instant and resolute response to my true love’s request. It was a decision which took a while to make but once I’d decided, I never looked back.

Our wedding day was drawing near and for almost three weeks, I’d been wearing my bespoke trays with whitening gel every night. I knew an amazing transformation was taking place and when I saw Neresh and Hayley for a check up towards the end of the process, this was confirmed.

I was asked to hold up a chart, which shows the varying shades of tooth discolouration, next to my teeth – just as I did during my initial consultation. It was wonderful when Neresh confirmed that my teeth had lightened by 12 shades – a remarkable result!

The beauty of ‘at home whitening’ is that you can control how white your teeth become. The fear that my teeth wouldn’t look natural was unrealised as I received compliments on ‘looking well’ rather than being asked ‘have you had your teeth whitened?’ My aim had been achieved.

As well as making my teeth look brighter, whiter and cleaner, the process seemed to give my entire face a boost; my lips appeared to have more colour, my skin tone looked healthier and the whites of my eyes seemed brighter. Just what you want before you walk down the aisle!

And so the big day arrived. I awoke to dazzling winter sunshine and the knowledge that today I’d become a ‘Mrs’. All eyes were on me; I felt a million dollars and I didn’t stop smiling a confident smile which came from the inside out. It was a day I’ll never forget and a white wedding in more ways than one.

Let the transformation begin…

My teeth whitening journey from ‘no, I can’t’ to no looking back

The wait was over. Whiter teeth were now within reach – in fact, the answer was in my hands.

I left the Dental Studio holding a classy black bag which might have lead an onlooker to conclude that I’d indulged in a dose of retail therapy.

The classy bag did not contain a designer dress. Even better, within it sat a sassy zip-up black case packed with everything I needed to get my teeth whiter, brighter and shiny, just in time for walking down the aisle.

Hayley explained how the home whitening system worked and was great at outlining the dos and don’ts. It’s simple, straightforward and safe – what’s not to like?

The cool black case, which was to be kept in the fridge, was filled with 12 syringes containing whitening gel. With a syringe in hand, I went upstairs to notch up another experience in my dental whitening belt.

With the smoker’s tooth powder and whitening wand experiences of my past becoming dim distant memories, I embraced this latest bid to get whiter teeth wholeheartedly and with confidence. This time, I knew it would work.

I took the custom-made trays out of the case and squeezed small ‘dots’ of gel into each tooth-shaped mould. And if you’re picturing rugby player’s gum shields, all chunky and bulky, you’re way off course; these trays are thin, lightweight and flexible.

Putting them in soon became part of my pre-bed routine, along with rinsing my contact lenses and applying night cream, and it didn’t take long to get used to sleeping with the trays.

The whitening process is pain-free but some days my teeth were sensitive. It was no surprise though – Neresh and Hayley had told me there may be increased sensitivity. So I simply avoided cold food and drinks, and focused on the fresh smile that was in the making.