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Tooth Whitening

Almost everyone wants to change something about themselves, longer hair, flatter tummy, bluer eyes, thinner thighs, whiter teeth. Some things are easier than others to achieve. It takes hard work to get a flatter tummy or thinner thighs unless you resort to the surgeons knife, but whiter teeth? That’s easy isn’t it? Even beauticians are doing it. Would you like whiter teeth with your bikini waxing madame? What a good idea, or is it?

Tooth whitening from our practice near Bristol is an excellent way to improve the appearance of your teeth. It doesn’t require injections, it doesn’t require drilling and you can see the results straight away. Whiter teeth are associated with looking younger, and we all want to look younger don’t we? That is unless you are under age and want to fool the bouncer on the nightclub door, at which point young girls are desperate to look older. However, assuming that you are not in this group, looking younger is quite desirable.

Just Google tooth or teeth whitening, and you will find that there are dozens of people offering it, all promising beautiful teeth. So what is the problem with non-dentally trained people carrying out tooth whitening? For a start, it’s illegal for anyone to carry out tooth whitening without the supervision of a dentist. Often the products that are used by beauticians can actually damage the teeth causing long term problems. A qualified dentist can assess you and your mouth and advise you if tooth whitening is suitable. To maintain any colour change that you achieve, you should have custom-made home trays for long term maintenance. These are not provided by beauticians.

There are a few reasons why a dentist may advise you that tooth whitening is not for you. These include fillings, crowns or veneers at the front of the mouth, staining on the teeth that should be removed by a dental hygienist, poor oral hygiene, and a few medical conditions. A beautician is not qualified to diagnose any of these problems.

I would not want anyone reading this blog to think that I have a problem with beauticians, I really like my beautician and respect what she does, but she would not consider herself qualified to whiten anyone’s teeth, and I am not qualified to do a facial or waxing.

Do yourself a favour, if you want whiter teeth, have it done by a dental professional. You wouldn’t call a plumber to fix your television would you? Don’t take a chance with the health of your teeth.

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