Yahoo Lifestyle 
Is it worth paying hundreds to get your teeth whitened?
With all the cheap teeth whitening options doing the rounds at the moment, Be decided to see whether it was really worth paying the big bucks to get your own set of pearly whites.
Whether you’ve got a wedding coming up, wanting to look your best for summer time, or gearing up for your Christmas party, the Philips Zoom teeth whitening treatment is one of the most expensive options out there.
Priced at around $600 it’s a professional treatment that promises immediate results of up to eight shades whiter teeth in just 45 minutes.
And because it’s done by a dentist, you would also expect it to be safe, non-harmful, and hassle free.
I was invited to give the treatment a go in the lead up to summer at the Dental Lounge on Macquarie St, Sydney, where I was greeted by Principal Dentist Dr Gamer Verdian.
Walking in I will admit I was a little sceptical. As the daughter of a dentist I’ve had tooth hygiene drilled into me since before I could walk and thought my teeth were pretty white already.
In a brief consult before the treatment Dr Verdian explained that the procedure itself is relatively painless and about one in four patients experience pain from sensitivity afterwards.
Then it was onto the prep, and my mouth was set in a way it would have to stay for at least 45 minutes. The gums are carefully protected with a special covering before they applied a hydrogen peroxide whitening gel.
Hydrogen peroxide breaks down the molecular bonds making up stains on and in teeth. The intense light of the Philips Zoom WhiteSpeed Whitening LED Accelerator then shines on the whitening gel.
I sat lying back on the chair with the device rest on my mouth - while watching Netflix, mind you – for three 15 minutes sessions. I felt absolutely nothing other than a little tingling for most of the treatment until at the very end of my third lot of light I felt the jolt of sensitivity Dr Verdian had described in one of my teeth. And it gave me a pretty decent fright.
A fourth 15 minutes is optional depending on the pain, but that one shock was enough for me so I tapped out after the 45 minutes.
Regardless I definitely still got results. Incredible ones at that. Before the treatment my teeth were classed an A3. Afterwards I’m now a B1 which according to the dentist is the whitest ‘natural’ white you can go.
I was given some gel to take with me to help with any pain and warned that I might experience those occasional jolts over the next 24-48 hours. I will admit they were quite uncomfortable. Think someone trying to drill into your teeth.
But that went away in less than a day and I’m super happy with the end results. Although I’m not sure I would pay that much for it, unless of course you had something special coming up like a wedding.
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