In 30 years on this planet, I’ve never whitened my teeth. You heard me correctly. Zero, zip, nada! I felt I didn’t have a reason to whiten my teeth, so I just didn’t do it.
Rewind to just over two years ago when I started working for a dentist (at Hudec Dental in the Marketing Department) and met the man of my dreams (I didn’t know it at the time) all within a week of each other. Never did I imagine that those two life events would change my non-whitening streak!
A year ago, the man of my dreams proposed and I, of course, said yes! Once that happened, I finally had a reason to whiten my teeth but to be honest I was terrified. Having faith and trust in Hudec Dental to help me with my dental health I started discussing my teeth whitening options. With the help of the dentist and hygienist, we put together a plan where we all agreed the Venus White Pro take-home kit with custom trays was the best option ($250 value) for me.
The plan:
(1) 9 months before the wedding get a teeth cleaning and get custom tray
s made. I was able to get both done in one appointment which was super convenient.
(2) Trays will be made and available for pick up in 2-4 weeks. It was closer to that 2-week timeframe!
(3) Start whitening once I get my trays.
(4) Repeat the whitening process every other month (or more if needed!) until my wedding.
It seems simple and straightforward, right? At first, it wasn’t but with the help of my dentist and hygienist, I got back on track. I learned a few things along the way. Some of them might be obvious to those who consistently whiten their teeth but to a first-time teeth whitener, this list would have been gold (or white 😉) to have!
- Get a cleaning first! You don’t want to whiten your plaque that gets removed when you have a cleaning, do you?
- Take lots of pictures to see your progress throughout the whitening process. I enjoyed getting to see how well it was working and that made it easier to manage exactly how white I wanted them to get.
- The bleach is a gel, not a liquid. I don’t’ know why I thought it was a liquid, but the gel makes it much easier to get just the right amount.
- In the kit break off the blue tip to get the bleach out of the syringe. Then save the tip and use it as a cap/lid for the syringe so the gel doesn’t get dried out.
- You only need a small amount of bleach for each tooth. No bigger than the size of a sprinkle!
- If your gums and tongue start to burn or bleed you’ve used too much bleach. Because the trays weren’t a flimsy plastic (like a disposable tray), I was able to take my trays out and wipe off the excess bleach that was burning my gums. With disposable trays, you wouldn’t be able to do that!
- Put the gel in the trays, not on your teeth. This makes it much easier to control how much you are using.
You don’t need to whiten all of your teeth. Line your trays up and only use the gel on the teeth you can see when you smile. This will help your bleach gel last longer.- Whiten consistently for one hour every day for up to two weeks. Repeat this however often you desire.
- It’s ok to take a day or two off from whitening during your two-week stint. I decided to whiten for two days and then take a day off. I didn’t have any sensitivity during my whitening but for those people that do, I would recommend this!
- The whitening process dries out your teeth so drink lots of water during those two weeks. Plus, water is overall the best thing you can drink!
- Use a straw when drinking all dark liquids. This will help enhance your whitening progress. If you forget don’t worry it isn’t detrimental to your whitening progress!
- The larger tray is the bottom tray. That was the only way I could remember which one was which without putting them in my mouth.
This list was much longer than I thought it was going to be. I guess I learned a lot more than I realized. I’m happy to say I feel as if I am a pro-teeth whitener and have been doing it for years! Also, I’m on track for white teeth at my wedding in June (pictures to come at a later date!). Don’t be afraid to give it a try! Hudec Dental has multiple options for a variety of price ranges and whitening capabilities.
Did you discover other tips and tricks to add?
Disclosure: This post-experience and written article is authored by the Marketing Manager at Hudec Dental. This was a personal experience that was chosen to be completed at the discretion of the employee. All opinions are her own.
