As a young child I had a run in with a bike and some concrete. The bike belonged to a pal of mine and I didn't realise it had a new built-in phenomenon known as back pedal brakes. This delightful invention meant that if you back peddled in a certain way the bike stopped in its tracks.

Flying along as I was, I decided a nice leisurely back pedal would pass the time as the bike raced onwards. As I began the move, the bike stopped abruptly. I flew forwards into the air and smacked onto the concrete. This resulted in a very embarrassing fat lip, which had swollen so much it touched my nose. Neighbours would come in just to tut-tut and ahhh at the sight, as I curled up under the duvet secretly glad of a few days off school. X-rays revealed my nose was intact and my bruised lip eventually recovered from the shock of the event.

Years later, I was perched in the dentist's chair as his big gloved thumb pushed and prodded at my two front teeth. He had noticed, as had I, that over the years my two front teeth had become more discoloured than the rest. This was at a point when the all-American smile was in. It was no longer confined to the wide-jawed grins of wealthy celebrities. The leaflets and adverts said it all. The chance to lighten up a few shades was possible with the right treatment.

This was at the back of my mind as the dentist took an X-ray of my precious choppers. The image revealed my two front teeth were essentially 'dead'. I didn't really take in the specifics, something about the nerve and not being suitable for root canal. "Did you suffer any tooth trauma as a child?" the dentist queried. At the time I couldn't recall. Upon reflection, I am convinced the above incident was to blame for the gradual demise of my pearly whites. I climbed downtrodden into my car and rang everyone I knew. I lamented the 'death' of my teeth: "My two front teeth?sniff?.are?.dead!"

When I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I figured the answer lay in cosmetic dentistry. Tooth whitening wouldn't fix the problem but it could help. Not long after, after saving up a few bob, I was a back in the dentist chair with a plastic contraption in my gob to keep my mouth open and a large laser contraption focused firmly on my teeth.

A solution was put on my mouth and gums to protect them and another solution of hydrogen peroxide was rubbed onto my teeth. The entire process was pain free until the last five minutes. I am not sure what happened exactly but I had some sensitivity to the process in the closing stages. Still, it was certainly worth it. The discolouration on my two front teeth was visibly reduced, while it can never be cured without veneers. The rest of my teeth also benefited from the process and I went out with a more confident smile. There is no doubt about it, teeth can affect confidence in many ways.

For months afterwards, I was a bleaching queen. I gave up everything that would harm the process ? tea, coffee, red wine, the occasional cigarette ? it all went out the window. I was determined to keep my beaming smile, well, beaming.

However, old habits die hard and after many months the vices crept back in. Despite this, the improvement is still visible and I know the process worked for me. And, I know I can go back for a top up at any point.

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment