Lately, I’ve found myself reminiscing about the times when compliments about my teeth were common. With their relatively white and straight appearance, my teeth were one of the few physical traits I felt genuinely proud of.
As it turns out, I owe this blessing to my grandmother.
“You’re so like her,” my mother would often say, though learning about my grandmother’s five husbands added a layer of concern to that statement.
I viewed this genetic legacy as a reassurance that my smile would remain a source of pride. While I didn’t inherit my father’s legs or my mother’s complexion, I could at least take comfort in having Grandma’s teeth.
What my mother neglected to mention, however, was that inheriting good teeth came with hidden caveats. In small print, it might read: “Warning! Likely to decline with age.”
Once I crossed the 50-year mark, I quickly realized that if my teeth were a person, they would definitely be in dire need of a vacation.
As we age, the enamel on our teeth begins to wear down, exposing the yellowish dentine beneath. Coupled with years of staining from beloved foods like coffee and wine, it’s no wonder that my smile has lost its youthful luster.
While professional whitening treatments offer the most effective results, the average cost of £350 per session made me seek more budget-friendly alternatives.
In the UK, strict regulations govern the use of hydrogen peroxide in oral care products—dentists can utilize concentrations of up to 6%, while at-home treatments are limited to just 0.1%. So, unfortunately, we aren’t exactly looking at the dazzling results typically seen on reality television.
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