The Tooth of the Matter
In this month’s instalment of summer prep, Talk Magazine’s style editor sought out where to get perfectly pearly whites.
Mission: To turn up the wattage on my million dollar smile
Why: To make the first thing people see be something they will really remember
Where: Global Health Care, Puxi Medical & Dental Center. Suite 303, 1788 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Huashan Lu. Tel: 5298 6339. Web: www.ghcchina.com
How Much: RMB 3,500 for Opalescence Clinical Whitening Treatment
Nothing makes more of an impact than a brilliant white smile, as some of our favourite celebrities make proof. And so in learning about the teeth whitening service that the Global Health Care clinic in Puxi offers, I sought out getting my chompers to the most coveted shade of ivory.
GHC has enjoyed an excellent reputation within the expatriate community for a while now, and so when I called them, I was not surprised to receive an excellent level of English language customer service. The woman who spoke to me was attentive to my request of reaching UV-light sensitive whiteness and offered a choice between two services, both of which would keep my teeth looking ivory white for approximately six months (although this depends of course on the condition of the individual’s teeth and their style of living, i.e. coffee drinker, smoker, etc). These were the American brand Opalescence Clinical Whitening Treatment (RMB 3,500), a two hour on-site procedure, or the Home Whitening Treatment (RMB 2,500) that requires four hour sessions of application time. Usually this option takes one week to see the effects.
All sounds very easy, however after I’d opted for the former, I was warned, “The teeth whitening service in the clinic is a little painful.”
In retrospect now, I realise I should have heeded her warning.
On arriving at the clinic, my dentist, Dr Anna Tubolets conducted a preliminary test to check the health of my teeth before applying the whitening gel. This involved her shooting ice-cold air onto each of my teeth, which while a little ticklish, was not overly uncomfortable.
After my teeth had been checked and approved, I was injected in the gums with a local anaesthetic, which I was told would prevent the whitening gel from inflicting too much pain. Not quite what I’d had in mind when I’d decided to have my teeth whitened, however Dr Tubolets told me that the whitening gel left what would feel like a burning sensation on my gums, the pain of which can typically last up to one hour after the treatment is complete.
Before long, the local anaesthetic had been administered, my mouth was being stuffed with rolls of cotton to protect my gums, and a plastic mouth stretching device had been fitted to keep my jaw open during the whitening procedure, puffing out my cheeks to make me look like a baby chimpanzee.
If someone had told me exactly what this treatment would entail, I possibly might have chosen the ‘at-home’ kit, but having come this far, I succumbed to the ‘pain is beauty’ mentality and persevered.
Only after a short while, and despite the anaesthesia, sharp bout of acid-burning pain around my mouth began to sting the living daylights out of me and I began to tear up. I’d like to think that through the feminine habits of waxing and wearing high heels I’d built up a good resistance to pain. Still, be warned. If you’re serious about getting your teeth whitened, be prepared to have a test of endurance on your hands.
Three hours later, I was still in a lot of pain, so should you decide to go ahead with this treatment, book late in the day and make sure you don’t have any subsequent commitments. Otherwise like me, you’ll find yourself desperately calling a friend to help you get home.
The irony in this story is that the friend who came to collect me was positively bowled over by how white my teeth had become, and a couple of weeks later, my teeth still look perfect. I guess I can't complain; I’ve received endless compliments. Still, for what it’s worth, you really have to ask yourself whether the price and the pain is worth the end result.
