THE SMILE CHALLENGE: YELLOWING TEETH
Teeth start out white because they are covered with white enamel, a 1.5 to 3mm thick layer of semi-translucent material, which is the hardest substance in the body.
Over time, this gets darker as it gets stained by pigmented food and drink, such as red wine, tea, coffee and nicotine if you smoke.
The more see-through enamel becomes, the more it will show the browny-yellow colour of the dentine underneath. Plus, says Dr Okoye, ‘Teeth naturally discolour with age.’
Having a whiter smile can take years off you because, says Dr Okoye, ‘Whiter teeth reflect light, so the whole face looks younger’ – so it could be worth investing in whitening.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
DENTIST WHITENING Only dental professionals are now allowed to give patients teeth whitening treatments in the UK, using ingredients that contain no more than 6% hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent.
Your dentist will first make a mould of your teeth, then give you a whitening gel, containing the bleaching agent to put in the mould. You then wear these moulds for a few hours a day over a few weeks.
Whitening can also be done more speedily in a dental surgery under a laser – but the results may not last as long unless you keep using whitening trays at home, too.
Expect to pay from £500 for dentist-made whitening kits and £900 for in-surgery laser whitening. But no matter what treatment you use, there’s a chance your gums will be sensitive to the chemical used – so dentist Dr Claudia Benjamin of the London Dental Surgery Centre says it’s essential to get your gums healthy first.
SHOP-BOUGHT WHITENING KITS
Many at-home kits promising to whiten
your teeth cost around £30. Usually, they contain trays you mould to your teeth yourself before filling with a shop-bought gel.
However, under UK law, kits that are not bought from a dentist are only allowed up to 0.1% hydrogen peroxide.
Whitening toothpastes and strips (sticky tapes that you leave on your teeth for around half an hour) can help to remove surface stains.
VENEERS For an even brighter – and bigger – smile, veneers are an option. This involves filing down the front of your natural teeth and sticking on a new surface, almost like a fake nail but longer-lasting and made in the ideal shape and colour for you.
‘The new materials used in veneers can now go much brighter,’ says Dr Okoye. But, she says, match your shade to the whites of your eyes to find the colour most natural for you.
Veneers can also be used to build out your smile and support your lips, giving your lower face extra support. But they are very pricey, costing from around £900 a tooth, and last between 10 and 15 years before you have to replace them.
‘Whiter teeth reflect light, so the whole face looks younger’