Teeth Whitening System Discovered
Way back in the mid-90s, I was an early adopter of tooth bleaching, as they called it back then.
Who doesn't LOVE white teeth?
Those were the pioneer days for Cosmetic Dentistry and whitening teeth was such a novel thing. Everyone walked around with discolored teeth back then, and a smile quickly revealed one’s age.
Extensive crowns and veneers were the only means to enhance a smile. Very expensive, very exclusive.
I found out about Teeth Bleaching (as it was called back then) in a dental journal. I was eager to know if it actually worked. So I decided to use myself as a guinea pig to make sure it was safe and effective before I recommended any Teeth Whitening System to my patients.
I ordered the product from California – ground zero for Teeth Whitening – and began my journey.
Easy, Fast and While You Sleep
Those gooey first-generation products were a bit messy, but I was still impressed by the fast results. It was so easy, and felt great to have people notice and compliment my smile. I began to wholeheartedly recommended a Teeth Whitening System to my patients.
It was so convenient wearing the custom-fitted trays at night while I slept. I would wake up with whiter teeth. How brilliant is that?!
In the beginning I had whitened only the top ones and used the dramatic contrast with my bottom teeth as a live demonstration. After about 6 months of that, I grew tired of having a two-tone smile, and whitened the bottom teeth to match the top ones.
Having white teeth was a real attention-grabber. By today’s standards, my teeth would have seemed normal. Back then everybody had dull, yellowish teeth. So by contrast, my smile practically glowed.
Most people I met were amazed how bright my smile looked. Like that Friends episode where Ross bleaches his teeth – my teeth were almost glowing in the dark. Maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but back in the 90s my smile was unusually bright by comparison.
"Wouldn't you like a whiter brighter smile?" Joe Bulger - Toronto Teeth Whitening Dentist
Shockingly White Teeth
Not long after whitening my teeth, I ran into some dental school classmates at one of our Dental Conventions. This was before Teeth Whitening was known in our profession.
I’ll never forget how they stopped dead in their tracks when they saw my smile. They were shocked how white my teeth were.
A few dentists thought it was amazing and immediately jumped on board to make Teeth Whitening part of their own dental practices. Others thought it was dead wrong to have such “unnaturally-white” teeth.
“Wow” I thought to myself, “How could some dentists be so excited by Teeth Whitening, and others be so disgusted?”
Here’s the thing. Some dentists strictly focus on dental diseases, not on the benefits of a beautiful white smile. It’s still like that today.
Some dentists just don’t get it regarding Smile Beauty and the benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry. Personally, I believe health and beauty go hand in hand.
High School Reunion
A few years after whitening my teeth, I though Teeth Whitening had become mainstream. The Teeth Whitening process had literally revolutionized Cosmetic Dentistry – making an attractive smile accessible to almost everyone.
Teeth Whitening was so easy, effective and affordable I couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t have it done. Let me add non-invasive to that list of benefits. Other cosmetic options, like Crowns and Veneers, require that your natural teeth would be compromised by the reduction of healthy tooth structure.
As a Teeth Whitening Toronto Dentist, I’ve helped thousands of people achieve whiter brighter smiles. For many years, I was one of the top-producing dentists Canada-wide in terms of Teeth Whitening.
So here I was at a high school reunion in 1998 – the year I turned 40 – and it was my turn to be shocked. So many yellow teeth in the crowd!
But then I remembered, these people were still patients of older dentists who weren’t exactly hip to Cosmetic Dentistry and Teeth Whitening Systems. In fact, “good old Doctor Bob” probably just stuck to plugging holes in teeth with that nasty mercury-based amalgam.
Acceptance of Teeth Whitening Systems
It took years for Teeth Whitening Systems to be widely accepted within our profession. Even then it was driven more by consumer demand. So many dentists had taken a hard-line anti-cosmetic stand in those early years it would literally take a new generation of dentists to evolve our profession.
Fortunately the evolution did happen. You can now get your teeth whitened through almost any dental office, and other countries are quickly catching up. That’s not to say every office will give you an equal result. There are differences in product and technique that give better results with less sensitivity. Experience helps.
In closing, what was once so rare (a bright white smile) has become routine. And that’s a wonderful thing.
Dr. Joe Bulger is a Toronto cosmetic dentist and the owner-founder of Royal York Dental.
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I used to be afraid of the dentist and hated to go. I even made up excuses and missed appointments. Since reading your ad "we cater to kids of all ages" over 14 years ago, I have never looked back.
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I am a returning patient, after living out of town for the past 5 years, and I look forward to receiving my dental services again from Royal York Dental. It gives me real comfort to know that I can trust the quality, service and cleanliness provided by this team.
A dental professional told me "You have to go to Royal York Dental. I've spent well over 20 hours in the chair to complete all the work for my smile. I LOVE my new smile and I can't tell you how many positive comments I've received to date.
Going to the dentist has become such a treat since I've started coming to Royal York Dental! I feel confident that from the moment I walk through the doors, I will be well taken care of.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
When I initially started whitening back in the day, I was told to only do the top teeth as those are all that really show… I thought it was a great idea.. That is until I like you started noticing the difference… Great post! LOL.. I only recently started whitening my lower teeth, and overall I’m pleased with having a matching top and bottom row..
Thanks for sharing that Roxy. It’s mostly the top teeth that show when we smile. So I can understand why people would think only the top ones need to look good. Yet it’s the bottom teeth that show when we talk, and most of us do a lot more talking then smiling.
Joe
Hi Dr. Joe, I’m so jealous about your white teeth! I live in Asia, so I’m not much aware of these nightly teeth whitening systems that you used to whiten yours. As you recall, I was tricked to buying the teeth whitening pen by _ _ _ + gate..Since then, the only procedure to teeth whitening I believe that really works is the one that uses laser.
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Hi Felicia. White teeth should be within easy reach for you. I recommend DIY with custom take-home trays, but you can certainly also get by with whitening strips. The laser is a bit of a hoax. It works, but the light source (“laser”) doesn’t do anything magical other than heat up the gel so it works a little faster. In most cases the light isn’t even a laser. It’s called Laser Teeth Whitening because the word “laser” has lots of consumer cache. Calling it In-Office Teeth Whitening just doesn’t have the same level of appeal.
Joe
Wow, thanks Dr. Joe! I never knew that they only used the word Laser just to make the procedure sound enticing! Thank you for the valuable advice. I will start saving up on those DIY with custom take-home trays. Looking forward to your next informative posts!
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Felicia, just in case you didn’t know, the DIY stands for Do-It-Yourself. As opposed to paying someone to put something on your teeth. Good fitting custom trays can give spectacular results and give you the ability to easily maintain that youthful-smile look.
Joe
Hi Joe,
Your story is interesting, but I want you to ask, which is more effective, DIY whitening or tooth whitening kits? I have read many people’s thoughts about them and I got confused after reading them, I would like to hear your opinion about it!
Just wanna say too that I’m so jealous about your shiny white teeth! My home is Asia, so I’m little mindful of these nightly whitening systems which you utilized to whiten yours. While you recall, I was tricked to purchasing one’s teeth whitening pen by _ _ _ + gate..Since then, the only procedure to whitening I believe that really works may be the one which uses laser.
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