One of the funniest commercials begins with a young teacher and her kindergarten students learning about colors.
Photo credit: Beauty Heaven
Pointing to her teeth, she asked what color they were, prompting an expected response of "white." To her surprise, the replies were innocently and enthusiastically exclaimed: ecru, beige, egg shell, and cream. Hilarious--unless it happens to you, right?
Even worse, a yellowed smile striking when your photographer is about to take close up shots at your Philadelphia wedding.
If whiter teeth are on your radar, here are some methods to facilitate a lighter, brighter smile:
Zoom Whitening: Zoom is available in the dentist office and takes less than an hour. It involves bleaching and enhances the results by utilizing a light lamp. Some procedures may whiten teeth up to eight shades.
Custom Trays: Plastic molds are made of your pearly whites and patients are given the whitening gel tubes. The advantage of custom trays is that they mold to the very unique structure and nooks and crannies of your teeth. This insures that every reachable part of your toothy grin is penetrated with a bleaching agent.
Smiles For Life offers custom trays and is administered by a participating dentist who can assist you with questions. But even better, proceeds benefit a multitude of charities you can choose from.
Crest White Strips: The biggest advantage of strips is its wide availability. You can start the process immediately -- just about any time of day or night depending on your proximity to your local grocery or convenience store. Express versions claim to be effective in just one hour. They are also relatively inexpensive. However, Crest White Strips are not as strong as custom trays.
Enhanced Lipsticks: Some lipsticks claim to give the illusion of whiter teeth based on certain undertones in the cosmetics. Here are just a few:
Photo credit: msn.com
From left to right: Lorac Couture Shine lip gloss in Haute, $22; Chanel Glossimer Lip Gloss in Mica, $29; Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie in Pink Me Up, $18; Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Cupcake, $7
Keep in mind that experiencing tooth sensitivity with bleaching products is common and dentists recommend using Sensodyne for those patients feeling discomfort for a couple of weeks.
Now that your sparkling white smile is taken care of, the only thing between you and that amazing photo of your Philadelphia wedding is that passed hors d'oeuvre with the pesto.