My Whiter Smile

I went and had my teeth whitened today. Long overdue, my teeth looked like they’d been stained by every cup of coffee I’ve ever downed and all those cigarettes I used to smoke (thankfully haven’t smoked for the last 20+ years).

Who thinks these procedures up? This is crazy. I was stuffed with cotton and plastic and protective stuff was swabbed on my gums and lips. Red coated safety glasses were slipped over my real glasses. Finally, a caustic bleaching potion was painted on my teeth and a bright light, straight from the Jetsons, was pushed up against my mouth.

In three 15 minute segments, the light was allowed to activate the secret potion, which in turn changed my teeth from gray to white! That, of course, was the result I wanted.

Before we started, my dentist picked out a tooth sample which matched one of my front teeth. When we were done, he held it up against the same tooth. I suppose that’s cheating, because no one gets to make that kind of A/B comparison in real time.

Still, I was not unhappy. It’s a big difference.

So, that’s the good news. Here’s the bad.

Whether because of the procedure or not, I left with my lower lip swelling. The swelling continued with my lip getting plumper and plumper for the next few hours. No pain, just some discomfort.

At work, I said something probably never before uttered by ‘on-air talent’ at a TV station: “No tight shots.”

Hopefully, the swelling will continue to abate and I’ll be ready to actually smile tomorrow!

For the next few days there will be no fruits, no colas, no ketchup and no coffee! The idea is, until everything sets, I shouldn’t stain myself back to where I began.

In the meantime, there is one expected after effect from the whitening – my teeth and gums are really sensitive. I can deal with it. A little short term discomfort is a small price to pay.

3 thoughts on “My Whiter Smile”

  1. Caffeine withdrawal is no fun. I don’t do coffee, but gave up my beloved Diet Coke several months ago. Imagine two days of the worst hangover and that pretty much describes it.

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