I visited the Cosmetic and Dental Emporium in the Bryanston Shopping Centre and almost blinded my husband.
Yes, smoking (I know, I know – no lectures please), coffee and tea can stain your teeth. And mine were victims of this until a few weeks ago. They weren’t yellow and hideous, just a little off white – but, beige enough to make my ears prick up when the opportunity arose to go for a teeth whitening at the Cosmetic and Dental Emporium (CDE) at the Bryanston Shopping Centre.
Upon arrival I was warmly greeted by the professional-looking team from CDE and handed an iPad so that I could complete my patient details. Then I was offered a glass of Cataflam to help alleviate any discomfort I might experience during the process.
For the uninitiated, Zoom whitening is an advanced dental bleaching process which is carried out by a dental professional. It first involves “removing” a tiny layer of your dentine and then bleaching the enamel with the use of whitening agents. All of this is expertly administered by the team from CDE during four x 15 minute intervals, over the course of 2 hours. Initially 2 hours seemed like a breeze but I can assure you that sitting still for that long - no talking or moving whilst keeping your mouth open - was an endurance test for me. I cannot even sit through a whole movie without squirming and needing to get up, so my recently acquired meditation technique came in handy.
What made the experience at CDE really cool was the extreme professionalism, friendliness and comfort this practice provides. They asked me who my favourite artist-musician was and made sure his tunes were playing non-stop on YouTube. If it wasn’t for Bonobo’s reliably smooth beats, I probably may have bailed half way through the treatment.
When I got home, the feedback was exactly as I had hoped, “Baby those are blindingly white teeth” and “We need to get you under a UV light ASAP” (which apparently is some reference about Ross after he had his teeth bleached and went to a rave in an episode of Friends). I basically have a brand spanking new set of teeth. Brilliant. I feel like an American news anchor - impossibly white and smiley. All weekend.
To be honest, I was a little mentally unprepared for the treatment. I had to be reminded of the fact that this is still a medical procedure and that I had to comply with certain behaviours during the following 48-hour period in order to ensure a lasting effect. One is not allowed to smoke or drink or eat anything that has a lot of pigment, so beetroot, curry, tomato sauce, Fanta and acidic foods like vinegar are all a no-no. And you may experience a bit of dental sensitivity over the same 48-hour period. In my case, it was pretty uncomfortable that evening so I popped some ibuprofen and headed for bed early.
The not-smoking part was the hardest and I ended up sneaking a few puffs while wearing gum-guards - looking and feeling rather ridiculous whilst berating myself for smoking while sporting my blingy new chompers. I avoided all brightly coloured foods but ended up forgetting and eating some red cabbage. Despite brushing my teeth like a demon after I developed a terrible insecurity that the whiteness would be gone after I had done so. My fears were unfounded and I was pleasantly surprised to get through the 48-hours with still sparkling teeth.
I am in love with my new smile and would recommend the process to anyone who would like to refresh the magic of their smile. The 2 hours were definitely worth it and the discomfort was quickly forgotten once the rave reviews started pouring in. The Cosmetic Dentistry Emporium is currently running a special for the treatment at the reduced rate of R2999.00 – the perfect Christmas gift for yourself or a loved one.
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