Tried & Tested

WHAT: ZOOM TEETH WHITENING WHERE: DENTAL LOUNGE, SYDNEY, NSW COST: FROM $545 FOR IN-CHAIR, $350 TAKE HOME, $695 FOR BOTH

The big question with teeth whitening is will it make your teeth sensitive? This was the first question I asked Dr Verdian, cosmetic dentist at the Dental Lounge, Sydney, as I arrived for my Zoom whitening treatment. Dr Verdian assured me that only one in four patients experience sensitivity, but there was no way of knowing whether I’d be one of them. Gulp. There’s also apparently no way of knowing if teeth whitening will work for you at all. Incredibly, it’s nothing to do with how porous your teeth are. However, I’d experienced at-home whitening before and had great results so I was confident in-chair whitening would be the same.

The options for professional whitening are ‘in-chair’ (at the dentist), which includes the benefit of using a laser to activate the whitening gel, but the downside is that this can take roughly an hour. Fortunately, Dr Verdian has a TV screen perched at just the right angle so I could enjoy Baywatch on Netflix while he and his assistant applied gel to my teeth and checked in on me every 15 minutes to make sure the Zoom machine was doing its thing. Each time either of them checked in, they wiped off the whitening gel then reapplied it. It was a minor disruption to the banter between Zac Efron and The Rock, but, my teeth were the priority.

After the third application I was given the choice to have a final 15-minute session. The risk at this point is that although my teeth would be whiter, they might also become more sensitive. Hmm. Before saying yes, I checked the whiteness of my teeth: Wow! As it turns out, I’m one of the lucky ones I experienced zero sensitivity (both in the chair and afterwards) and my pearly whites came up looking clean and fresh, after just 45 minutes. Also, I opted for the bonus of an at-home kit for top-ups whenever I need.

One thing you need to know about getting your teeth whitened is that they’re more porous for a few days following the treatment. So, that means stay away from coffee, red wine or beetroot if you want them to stay gleaming white. The longer you can avoid foods that stain, the longer your teeth will stay white.