1.How long does it last?

As I mentioned previously,our teeth loses their whiteness over time and our lifestyle and diet would be the main things that will affect how white our teeth stay.After the Britesmile procedure,the effect lasts an average of 2 years and if you are a 3-pack-a-day smoker and compulsive coffee drinker(esp the Kopi O ‘kau” type),then you probably will lose it all in less than a year.However,there is a maintenace paint-on pen that you can use on a daily basis,and that will help your teeth stay whiter for a longer period of time.

2.Does it hurt?(VERY important question!!)

The process is actually quite comfortable as you are biting on little block throughout and therefore it is unlikely that you will suffer from a dislocated jaw or fatique.In the last 20 minutes of the procedure,as the peroxide gets into the outer dentin layer of your teeth,there may be a slight discomfort,likened to a tingling sensation.The various descriptions have been “sour sensation”,”someting is pressing on my teeth”,”clenching feeling on my teeth”,which basically describes the sensitivity that arises from you dentin being stimulated.

After the procedure,a small number of individual may get some mild pain in the next 24 hours.This is easily controlled with some mild analgesics like Panadol.

3.What can I eat and what can I not eat after that?

During the bleaching or whitening process,the pellicle layer ie a thin protein layer covering our enamel,is removed.Without this layer,our teeth will absorb stain very easily.Therefore it is of ultimate importance that you do not consume any coloured food or beverage over the next 24 hours,after which the pellicle layer will build back naturally .No oily food and no lipstick.And absolutely NO SMOKING! I heard of a case where a patient after doing whitening,rushed out form the clinic and lit up immediately(must be desperate!) and before he knew it,there was a black halo smack on his 2 upper and 2 lower front teeth!Bad mistake! That brings us to what can be consumed.Anything colourless or white,ie water,soya milk,bread without its crust,apple without skin and the list goes on.

4.Will I have Tyra Banks whiter teeth?

Well,yes! Of course!However,do not set too high expectations as the results vary from each individual.Some people have thicker enamel than others,so the effect is much better.Others have 2 different shades on the surface of their teeth ie the area nearer to the gums are much more yellowish.Again this is due to the fact that the enamel is thinner in that area.So,the area nearer to the biting edge will whiten a lot better.You should generally be able to get at least 5 shades whiter than your original shade.Anything more would be a bonus.

And I finally got around checking on what Tyra Banks is like,and ooohhh!What white teeth she has!This is one of the more decent looking pictures of Miss Banks(after screening a whole lot of not-so-appropriate photos in the internet)