A confidence boost never hurt anyone. And an easy way to get there is with a brighter smile, says Chrissy Goria, executive director of Grin Whitening Clinic in Calgary.
“When someone is insecure about their smile, it really prevents them from engaging in a positive way,” she says. By the time they leave the clinic, “they’re smiling and their whole demeanor changes.”
Dr. Andrea Gelinas, a dentist based in Toronto and founder of Gelinas Dental Studio, adds “there’s been a big change since the pandemic, because everyone was on Zoom and seeing themselves talking and looking at their smiles.” It has seen a rise in cosmetic enhancements, including veneers, alignment treatments like Invisalign and, of course, turning teeth that have a yellow or brown tint to pearly whites.
Whether performed in the dentist’s office or at a specialist clinic, the hour-long treatment usually combines hydrogen peroxide (a whitening agent) with blue light technology to brighten teeth. “The light activates the staining molecules, allowing oxygen to remove the discoloration on the surface of the teeth,” Gelinas explains. Traditional home remedies rely on the same ingredient, but over-the-counter options are made with lower concentrations. “We use a formula with 25 to 35 percent hydrogen peroxide, whereas most whitening strips and trays are anywhere from 3 to 7 percent,” says Goria.
With home only options you can see results, but the key to maximizing them yourself is consistency. Use the product as directed and continue with the treatment period, which typically ranges from 10 to 14 days.
In her practice, Gelinas prepares patients to expect a tingling sensation during an in-office treatment. “Sensitivity seems to be what worries patients the most. It’s going to be sensitive no matter what,” he says. But using a toothpaste for sensitive teeth, such as Sensodyne, for two weeks before can help. She also recommends taking Advil or Tylenol an hour before your appointment.
The interaction between the light and the whitening agent used in the treatments produces very mild heat and any change in temperature causes the tubules in the teeth to open. The tubules are portals of entry to the nerve of the tooth, so you may feel slight bumps. This does not harm or damage the teeth. The tubes will close slowly after that, says Jelinas. After treatment, avoid any food or drink with strong dye. “Stick to things that are clean, white, and light for the next 24 hours,” says Goria. “A good rule of thumb is if it can stain a white shirt, stay away from it.”
Since stains build up on tooth enamel over time, the best strategy is to combine a professional treatment (which can cost $200 to $500) with consistent use of an at-home whitening treatment, because the biggest reason for discoloration is what you are consuming every day. Gelinas summarizes the list of culprits as anything with pigment. “It’s all the good stuff – coffee, tea, red wine. And then there’s the bad stuff, like vaping, that a lot of people don’t think about.”
After a professional treatment, use whitening strips every two months and skip the whitening toothpaste. It’s too abrasive, which can be detrimental, says Gelinas. Instead, get an electric toothbrush and follow consistent oral hygiene habits. “I would rather people spend time at night making sure they do two full minutes of brushing and flossing and tongue scraping if needed,” she says. “Then you can maintain how the enamel looked when you left the appointment.”
Six markets to try
Combining at-home whitening treatments with top-notch oral hygiene is the secret to a brighter smile.
A 10-day treatment combines strips containing hydrogen peroxide with a five-minute session of LED light therapy, which the brand claims fades blemishes and whitens 50 percent better than using strips alone. Crest 3D Whitestrips Teeth Whitening Kit, $90; amazon.ca
An innovation for sensitive mouths from a Trois Rivières-based brand, these peroxide-free strips are mint-flavored and designed for a pain-free experience that uses vegetable sodium (a derivative of white rice) to whiten teeth. Kakua Smile Whitening Strips, $35; kakuasmile.com
A tapered brush delivers a shine solution exactly where it’s needed, allowing a more controlled application along the teeth and gums to minimize discomfort and target individual teeth for more uniformity. Arc Precision Teeth Whitening Pen, $30, Shoppers Drug Mart
With a focus on removing surface stains – clinically proven to whiten teeth in just one week – this toothbrush features dense bristles that target stain removal, while a choice of three modes and intensities allows for personalized cleaning. Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 6100, $160, philips.ca
Designed to stretch and expand between teeth, this dentist-recommended floss is scented with cardamom essential oil, coated with a vegetable/beeswax blend, and is dairy-, dye- and gluten-free while claiming to remove up to 55 percent more plate. DrTung’s Smart Floss, $16 for a two-pack; drtungs.com
Made of medical-grade stainless steel and sculpted for comfort, this tool can help refresh the look and feel of your mouth by removing food particles and bacteria from the surface of your tongue that can contribute to stains and odors. Mintier Tongue Cleaner, $18; shopmintier.com
