My Teeth Whitening Experience in Lagos Nigeria

Hi Everyone,

You know your week was hectic when you don’t remember that you’ve missed not one, but two posts. I’m sorry but between missing two days at work due to a foot injury and then having to catch up with everything I missed, I just forgot! So I’m back with an interesting post for you guys. I got my teeth professionally whitened for the first time. Whitening my teeth was a pretty spontaneous decision for me. I thought about doing it and booked an appointment the next day lol.

I’ve been going to Dr. Iheme at Richmond Dental Clinic for years and he really is the nicest person. He took the time to explain the process to me which starts with a scaling and polishing. I’d never done this before either (I know shocking! You’re recommended to do this every six months), so I went in to get my first teeth cleaning done. And a week later, I went in for my whitening.

What happens? 
My dentist uses the Zoom Whitening technology. It’s basically a system that makes use of sodium hydroxide (the chemical present in all whitening kits) and a laser to quicken the bleaching process. Here’s a diagram of the steps from the whitening kit:

You’re given a mouth guard to keep your mouth open, then your gums are protected with a chemical to make sure they’re not whitened too. Next, the whitening gel is placed over your teeth and the laser is attached to your mouth.

APPLICATION OF WHITENING GEL

LASERING

The second the mouth guard went in and the laser came close to me, I started to feel a little anxious. There’s something about not being able to speak and not knowing what to expect that freaked me out, and at that point I found a lot of comfort in the fact that I was in a familiar environment. My dentist gave me a sheet of paper and a pen in case I needed to communicate anything to him during the procedure.

I should also mention that the mouth guard wasn’t painful at all. The blue one that comes with the kit was too big to fit in my mouth so I was given another one. I know it looks like my lips are stretched over the top but it honestly wasn’t painful. The worst thing about the mouth guard is you can’t swallow with it in. So my saliva was collecting in the bottom of my mouth during the laser sessions. The nurse would suction it out during the breaks but it was a little gross to be honest.


How long is it going to take?
My whole appointment took about an hour and a half. There are three 15-minute rounds of the gel/laser process. In between each round, the gel is removed and a fresh layer is re-applied before the process is repeated. At the end all the gel is removed and you rinse your mouth with plain water and you’re good to go.

Is it going to hurt? 
Dr. Iheme explained to me that some people experience pain during the procedure but luckily for me I was fine until the last few minutes of the third and final round. That’s when I experienced a sharp pang in my bottom, central tooth. But I was able to suck it up and finish the treatment. I listened to music throughout my treatment which was a great distraction, so I’d recommend bringing your headphones. Afterwards  my teeth felt sensitive and my gums were a little sore, and for about an hour after the procedure that sharp pang would come and go. But a few days later everything was back to normal.

The results
As you can see, there’s a huge difference between what I started with what I ended up with. My dentist explained to me that my teeth are at least 6 shades whiter and I’m ecstatic! The great thing about getting your teeth whitened professionally is you get instant results that (are supposed to) last forever. I’m very excited.

BEFORE

AFTER

Prices vary from dentist to dentist but in case you’d like to go to mine, its located on Maitama Sule, off Raymond Njoku in Ikoyi.

Have you ever got your teeth whitened? Do any of you have any DIY tips?

*This post is not sponsored. I paid N60,000 for the treatment.