
Image: Candice before her treatment
I haven’t been much of a ‘bride.’ There have been no temper tantrums or bridezilla appearances, no outrageous requests, no early morning bridal bootcamp classes and certainly no three-month brow-scaping plans. In fact, it would be safe to assume that I have been a very laidback, very relaxed bride-to-be.
And then, like a pin to a balloon, the thought of two photographers and a videographer up in my grill began to unfold in my mind. There was going to be smiling, a lot of smiling, the type of smiling that forces your lips to twitch and cheeks to ache. And yes, my teeth, my not-so-pearly whites, were going to be on display.
While I’m sure my gnashers are completely un-intriguing to everyone around me, my teeth have always seemed a little too popcorn-coloured under my forensic gaze. Hoping to exchange popcorn for a perfectly white poached egg, I began by swapping out my regular toothpaste for an over-the-counter whitening toothpaste – but, I still wasn’t satisfied.
Perhaps a few small, barely noticeable, stains were removed but with the wedding fast approaching I felt it was time to try something a bit more professional.
In search of a whiter smile I came across the Philips Quick Pro system, the quickest dentist-applied whitening product on the market. Offering a more subtle level of whitening than a full treatment, it’s perfect for those of us that don't feel as if they need a complete teeth overall, but still want them to look a little brighter - or a little less popcorn-coloured in my case. With a simple 10-minute application and 30-minute wear time, it sounded like the perfect solution for the time poor bride.
Quicker than you could say “four shades whiter,” I found myself at Sydney’s Pitt Street Dental Centre, with Dr Michael Cai and his team, ready for my test drive.
How does it work?
First up, the dentist began by applying a thick layer of vitamin E to my lips. You see, the next step is squeezing in a rather large mouthguard, so it pays to prep your lips beforehand.
After the mouthguard is in place, the dentist on duty applied a protectant, similar to play doh in texture, to my gums in an attempt to lower any possible sensitivity. She then painted the whitening solution, hydrogen peroxide to be exact, to my teeth before finishing with an innovative sealant to lock the peroxide in place.