We all want a Hollywood Smile!
In the UK we spend over £2 billion a year on products to enhance and maintain our facial beauty, but often forget our teeth, and it’s such a give away! Most of us believe that a warm, open and bright smile makes someone look more approachable and attractive, but many of us are not happy with the colour of our teeth and so hide them by not smiling!
Almost a third of Britons have undergone cosmetic dentistry and teeth-whitening is the most popular area of all. Nowadays, celebrities always seem to be photographed in the media with beautiful, professionally-whitened teeth, but few of us have the time, inclination or the money to fly ourselves to L.A for the latest professional teeth-whitening treatments! Fortunately, there are a range of teeth whitening methods available, including much more affordable, in-home solutions.
What types of teeth whitening treatments & products are available?
At a Dentist Surgery, you can have your teeth bleached or bonded with either veneers or a composite resin.
At Home, you can use either a “whitening” toothpaste, a non-peroxide gel or kit, or Pearl Drops whitening toothpolish.
Bleach
Hydrogen peroxide (sometimes in the form of carbomide peroxide) is the bleaching substance used in tooth-whitening systems. It needs to be delivered to the tooth’s surface in high concentrations in order to reach the desired whitening effect.
The various treatments deliver between 3% and 20% of bleach on to the tooth surface. At such a high level of concentration, the application by dentists is approached with great care in order to ensure the bleach does not come into contact with the gums. The bleach is usually activated with the use of a light or laser. These sorts off treatments can be hugely expensive, costing up to £1000!
The whitening effect can fade quite quickly and teeth become stained so dentists often give patients a bleaching kit to use at home for a few weeks after their treatment. These kits include a custom-made plastic tray into which bleach is added and the tray is then worn over the teeth for up to 3 hours.
Bleaching can result in tooth sensitivity, which can be fixed with a toothpaste such as Arm & Hammer Enamel Care Sensitive.
Composites
First, to avoid the tooth becoming too thick, the front surface of the tooth is reduced. Microscopic grooves are etched into the tooth surface with an acid. A resin is applied to the tooth, contoured smoothly into shape, and set using a curing light.
Veneers
Porcelain veneers are made to match the colour and shape of your teeth. An impression is taken of your teeth and sent to a laboratory to produce the veneer. The front surface of your teeth has to be reduced and roughened before the dental bonding cement can be applied. Veneers are generally stronger than composite resins but are even more expensive, and can cost upwards of £300 depending on the technician and porcelain used.
Non-peroxide gels or kits
A range of different whitening kits are sold through drugstores. Usually these are clear gels or pastes applied using plastic trays and brush-on pens like the dental surgery products. However, in the UK it is illegal to sell such products with the same effective levels of peroxide (3% -20%). The products sold in drugstores only contain a maximum of 0.1% peroxide.
Be careful of some websites selling high concentration peroxide whitening kits. In June 2007, an investigation by Trading Standards found that 18 out of 20 products tested had extremely high levels of bleach, well above the legal safe limit.
“Whitening toothpastes”
Many of the leading toothpaste brands nowadays sell products which claim to whiten teeth. These usually contain abrasive ingredients such as Silica which can help to remove some stains. However, they do not give the same noticeable whitening results (lightening by several shades) as bleaching products.
Pearl Drops Whitening Toothpolish
Pearl Drops is the UK’s leading whitening toothpolish brand thanks to its long heritage and expertise in developing effective teeth whitening products. Loved by insiders including make-up artists, stylists and celebrities, from TV presenter Liz Fuller to the UK’s fashion stylists Trinny and Susanna, Pearl Drops is recommended for effective and gentle whitening.
The Pearl Drops range has 2 key methods to teeth whitening:-
Pearl Drops Hollywood Smile, for example, contains a unique advanced micro-polishing system combined with active oxygen proven to polish and whiten your teeth by 2 shades in just 3 weeks.
Pearl Drops Replenishing White is the UK’s first ever anti-ageing teeth whitener. With it’s breakthrough patented Liquid Calcium® technology, not only does it remove stains, but it also fills in microscopic crevices in the enamel surface where stains collect to restore the enamel surface, leaving it smoother and naturally brilliantly whiter!
Teeth Whitening Comparative Price & Benefits Guide
| Approx Cost | Whitening effect | Quick/Easy to Use | Comfortable, sensitivity-free | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dentist bleaching | £300 - £1000 | **** | * | * |
| Dentist veneers | £300 - £500 each | **** | * | * |
| Home gels/kits | £10 - £25 | * | ** | ** |
| Whitening toothpastes | £2 - £3 | * | **** | **** |
| Pearl Drops whitening toothpolish | £2 - £8 | *** | **** | **** |
