Wouldn’t it be just wonderful to walk into a room full of people and dazzle them with your smile and the demand for whiter teeth is on increase as we clamour to emulate the ‘showbiz’ look, writes a dentist in the city of Leeds. Well, it’s a lot easier than you think and in some cases, you don’t even have to visit the dentist. Home bleaching kits are proving very popular and for around £100, light treatment, around £400 or there is the rather more expensive option of veneers. With home bleaching, you will start by soaking an upper and lower gum shield in warm water and then apply them to the teeth to form the mould. Then they are filled with a mixed bleaching agent and re-applied to the teeth. The longer they are left on, the whiter the teeth, but this isn’t always a perfect method. A more popular procedure is the light intensive treatment. This can be done by a trained technician at home or at the dentist. If there are no gum problems, a rubber shield will be placed on the gums and then a gel coated onto the teeth. An intense light is shone onto the teeth, agitating the bleaching process into action. The final method is veneers, which is a better option if only the odd tooth is discoloured and generally come in two forms. A wafer thin lumineer is bonded over the tooth with barely any preparation required but they have a short span of 3-5 years. The stronger alternative is the porcelain veneer. Although this requires a lot more preparation, they can last up to 15 years and give a deeper and more natural look, (a veneer can be up to £400 per tooth). You do get what you pay for with each of these treatments, though the dearest aren’t always the best.
