A great smile can hugely influence a first meeting with someone, whether it be in your personal or professional life.
Why do you rarely see a movie star with bad teeth? It is because it is such a prominent feature and the sight of a beautiful smile is very engaging.
Teeth whitening or teeth bleaching used to be something only the rich or famous used as the cost ran into thousands of pounds or dollars.
As the industry progressed, dentists started using laser treatment, but this was still relatively expensive.
Then home teeth whitening kits and systems came out onto the market at a fraction of the cost.
Quite rightly people were very dubious as why should the dentist charge so much more and the question on peoples lips were - Are these teeth whitening kits safe? Firstly let me explain the reason why dentists charge so much for teeth whitening - Dental offices apply a huge product mark-up to cover their overheads; facilities, equipment, staff, time, administration, etc.
It really is as simple as that.
When you order your coffee at Starbucks, an extra charge is applied for drinking it in one of their shops rather than taking it away.
Its the same principal, but the mark up for whitening is much higher.
So back to the question, are the kits safe.
I will give you a few pointers on choosing where to buy from.
Firstly, once you have searched the internet for suppliers and are comfortable with a certain site, take a look and see if they have a good amount of information about their products and most importantly, make sure their kits come with an instruction manual.
On this manual should be steps on how to apply the product but also what is contained.
Once you have received your product, go through the following: -Be sure to read and follow the instructions for use shown on the product label.
- Should you experience tooth sensitivity, you can try one of these measures, starting with the first.
- Decrease the use of the whitening system to half of the recommended duration.
For example, wear it for 30 minutes instead of 60 minutes.
- Discontinue use of the whitener for two or three days, then resume use.
Stop using the whitener and consult a dentist.
- If you have had dental problems, infections or recent work on your teeth, or if you already suffer from tooth sensitivity, talk to your dental professional before using a tooth whitener.
- If you are pregnant, have mouth or gum disease or have teeth stained by medication, you should not use tooth whiteners.
Please take this last point on board.
Whilst home teeth whitening kits are now very popular and mostly are very stringently tested, there has been NO proof that it is not harmful to pregnant women.
Have your beautiful baby and then have beautiful teeth!