Laser Teeth Whitening - A Personal Experience
For many years, as I brushed my teeth each morning and evening
and gazed into the mirror, I wondered just how different the
picture I saw would be if I plucked up the courage to have laser
teeth whitening treatment. Each time the thought crossed my mind
my natural fear of the dentist, and the thought of the cost
involved, quickly dispelled it.
Just over a year ago, however, I was on holiday in the Far East
and tooth ache forced me to seek out a dentist at the much
applauded dental department of the local international hospital.
While having the necessary filling, I noticed that the centre
also offered laser teeth whitening and that they were currently
running a special promotion which was the equivalent of about
half the cost I would pay back at home. It was too good an offer
to pass up and so I made an appointment for later that week.
The treatment was in two parts. On my first appointment, the
procedure was explained to me and it was made clear that the
results varied considerably from individual to individual. In my
case, although my teeth were in very good condition for my age,
years of cigarette smoking had left their mark and so, although
a considerable improvement should be seen, my teeth were never
again going to match the gleaming white teeth seen in the tooth
whitening advertisements.
With the explanation of the procedure out of the way, my first
appointment concluded with a clean and polish. Now whether this
was typical of laser teeth whitening treatments, or was simply
the standard at this particular dental centre, I don't know, but
this particular clean and polish was the most thorough I have
ever experienced and took no less than one hour and twenty
minutes. That said, it was not a painful process, but was
somewhat uncomfortable and not something I would like to go
through too often.
Five days later I returned for the laser teeth whitening
procedure itself.
After fitting a large plastic guard into my mouth and packing
the area around my gums with gauze, a protective gel was applied
to my gums and this was set using a light. This process was
again somewhat uncomfortable and setting the gel generated quite
a bit of heat which was a little worrying, but overall things
seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
Next, a whitening gel was applied to my teeth and then the laser
light process started. For this a small hand-held laser light
instrument was used and my teeth were divided into four sections
(upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left) with the
light being applied for about one and a half minutes to each
section in turn. This process was repeated four times and then
the whitening gel was rinsed off and fresh gel applied before a
second round of four further light exposures.
Up until this point the procedure had been painless and seemed
simple enough. However, as the second set of light exposures
started, I began to experience shooting pains in a number of my
teeth. At first these were reasonably mild, but the intensity
soon increased and, after just two further light treatments, I
was forced to call a halt to the proceedings.
This sensitivity is apparently quite normal and, although it
varies considerably from person to person, many patients fail to
run the full course of eight light exposures. What is also
common, and which I hadn't realized until after the treatment,
was that the whitening process started by the laser light
exposure continues for several days after the treatment, as do
the shooting pains!
So what were the final results like and was it worth having the
treatment?
Well, I certainly noticed a considerable difference in the
appearance of my teeth and even now, a year after the treatment,
my teeth are still much whiter and brighter than before. This
said, they are slowly beginning to discolor again and I would
probably need to repeat the treatment again in about another
year or eighteen months to maintain a white, bright smile. So,
would I go through the treatment again?
Yes, without doubt. I am certainly no fan of the dentist, but
the difference that this particular treatment has made to my
life is significant and I will not hesitate to return for
further treatment when the time comes.