Teeth whitening is not a new fad as the Ancient Egyptians were into it and American’s have been doing it for decades. Dick Van Dyke’s character Bert, in Mary Poppins, not only had a questionable cockney accent, he was the only chimney sweep with a Hollywood smile.
Why Are We So Into Teeth Whitening?
The epidemic has spread throughout the USA and now the world. In films it is becoming rare to see a down and out. Or even a gladiator without a perfect set of teeth. In America it is so important to have shiny white teeth that people with normal healthy teeth are considered to have, ‘bad’, teeth. Ricky Gervais has fascinated advocates of the Hollywood smile by not having teeth whitening done.
Selfies
Initially whiter teeth was popular with film stars, soap stars and people on their fiftieth birthday. Now of course with the introduction of the smartphone and social media we are smiling for the camera more than ever. There is nothing like a bad photograph being posted online to inspire you to lose weight. Or improve your dress sense and invest in teeth whitening. We are becoming celebrities amongst our friends. Some of us smile and pout on people’s timelines frequently.
Legislation
For a while it was unclear who was able to perform teeth whitening treatment. Beauty parlours would incorporate it into their packages. In October 2012, legislation was introduced specifying that only qualified dentists or dental nurses could perform a teeth whitening procedure. In order to make sure that your mouth and teeth don’t get damaged by teeth whitening your dentist must assess if your teeth are healthy enough for the procedure.
Health First
If you want to use a teeth whitening gel kit at home you need to have a consultation with your dentist first. This is to check suitability and have customised trays made for the teeth whitening gel. It is entirely up to you as to how white you would like your teeth to be. But you must not compromise your health to gain a whiter than white smile. Remember healthy teeth don’t always have to be snow blindingly bright.
World’s Healthiest Teeth
According to the DMFT Index the UK was in the top five countries with the healthiest teeth while America was not. When it comes to white teeth we need to remember that the majority of Americans don’t live in Hollywood. They don’t go roller skating in Los Angeles and have reality shows. There are a large number whose dental health is so bad that they don’t have any teeth left to whiten.
If you are interested in brightening up your selfies and having a beaming white smile contact us for more details. We will be able to make sure that teeth whitening will be beneficial to you. As well as ensure that you have a Hollywood smile that you will be proud of.
You can find out more about Teeth Whitening by reading our long-form blog post entitled ‘Teeth Whitening – everything you need to know‘. This contains much more detailed advice and guidance about all aspects of the teeth whitening procedure and process.
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