.::. Zoom! .::.

I can't remember when the obession with my teeth started. One fine day, you just decide to want to do something for yourself, to improve youself in some way or another, physically. For me, it was my teeth because I do not dare to go for plastic surgery nor could I get that perfect body. I saw the importance of great skin and great teeth - it made all the difference for normal people like me!

I've weird teeth. I still have TWO baby teeth left and I've 3 less teeth than normal people. In total, I'm short of FIVE adult teeth. My 2 baby teeth is still intact, and that is not a good thing since baby teeth are not as strong as adult teeth and are more prone to decay. Since I do not have adult teeth to replace them, I've to make do with them till they give up on me.

The whole journey started in 2008 when I started braces treatment. The whole plan was to get them straightened and then whitened, to get that 'hollywood' set of perfect teeth. I took off braces last year before going to Sweden, but obviously I didn't have enough money to whiten them then

Finally, I went ahead and got them whitened now. It's like, a birthday present for myself, a good way to end the year!

Are my teeth white now? No. Will it ever be white? I don't think so, unless I get veneers done.

This was before treatment.

These were the 'before' and 'after' picture taken by my orthodontist. I had a bad overbite problem and huge gaps everywhere, but obviously isn't the worst kind of teeth around.

I took the picture under yellow light. It's many shades whiter than what I started with, but it's still not white. It's definitely not those 'hollywood' kind of white since you only get that if you get veneers, this fake layer they paste on your real teeth to create that perfect smile with neat, white teeth. But then, that requires you to shave your real teeth smaller, which I'm totally not willing to do.

Do I think it was worth it? It's really a 'yes' and 'no'.

I did it because I always wanted to do it and it was just something which I had to do for myself. Just like getting braces and going for Lasik. So yes, it was definitely worth doing it instead of spending my life wondering if I should go ahead to do it.

I reckon I knew that it wouldn't be THAT white, but half of me still hoped to be 'wowed' by the aftermath. Thanks to managed expectations, I wasn't that disappointed though I can't say that I'm really satisfied.

Then again, I probably wouldn't do it again. Why? Because it's painful and expensive. Even at the almost half-price promotion, it is still expensive! And I'm really not confident of maintaining the results since I drink cups of coffee and tea every single day!

Firstly, I didn't know that whitening needed injections on the gum. It was the first time I had injections on my gum. It wasn't that painful, but it was a disgusting feeling which I really hate. My whole chin felt numb and my inner lower lip was alittle swollen, I really felt like I had a big swollen sausage for my lower lip.

I thought that Laser whitening was something like Lasik or Laser for the skin - like there is this device which transmits rays into your eye/skin/teeth to do what they are supposed to do. But it wasn't like what I thought at all!

I had my teeth cleaned, polished and then the whole 'Zoom' whitening process started. It was not a pleasant experience at all.

I had to have something inserted into my mouth to keep it open. It wasn't comfortable since the lower part was pressing into the area under my tongue. Then, they stuffed gauze all over inside my mouth, to absorb my saliva and 'make me more comfortable'. Then they applied some cream around my mouth area and at the tip of my nose to protect it from the laser. And they added a layer of paper around my mouth as a shield, with only my mouth sticking out from the hole. There I was, with mouth held open with an uncomfortable piece of plastic and stuffed full with gauze. My lower lips felt like a big swollen sausage though it was not swollen at all. I keep complaining about it that he gave me a mirror to assure me.

It started with the doctor putting a protective layer near your gums. Thus, your teeth might still be yellow near the gums. It was like a hot wax that hardens, so it's not comfortable either. Then, the real thing started with a layer of bleaching liquid being applied to your teeth and there will be the 'Zoom' laser machine directed right at your mouth. I was wearing a big goggle, but it looked like a bright green light.

I was told that the treatment was 3 cycles, and if I can take it, he'll give me another cycle. However, most people give up by the 3rd cycle because your teeth would hurt and feel really sensitive.

I was great, at the end of 3rd cycle, I almost felt nothing except uncomfort given what was stuffed into my mouth. I occasionally felt sharp piercing needles at the left of my lower teeth, but it came and went. By the middle of the 4th cycle, the pain started getting stronger and more frequent till I couldn't take it anymore. It was painful, like needles shooting from the roots, like your teeth was going to drop off.

The whole process ended after he got those wet gauze out of my mouth and coated my teeth with flouride which I paid extra for. Obviously he washed my teeth and got rid of those bleach too.

At the end, I felt really tired and in pain. The whole whitening process took about an hour (minus the washing and polishing). He wanted to give me another injection which I refused to take. The pain was bearable, but I felt very uncomfortable. He told me that the pain was quite bad for some people. I still feel like I had very swollen lips, and I couldn't really talk or control my lower lips.

I was given sensitive toothpaste and left the clinic poorer, abeit with whiter teeth and pain to boot. I'm supposed to abstain from anything that might stain my teeth for 48 hours since it is more porous after the treatment. I was also advised to get the take home kit with 8 tubes of whitening gel to use everyday for a month and weekly after that to maintain and enhance the results. I didn't take it, but I might go back for it since it's half-price after Zoom treatment too.

After I left, the numbness and 'sausage lips' took about 3 hours to fully subside. I still managed to eat, but I kept biting into my lower inner lips but do not feel much pain since it was numbed. I was drinking water with water splurting out because I can't feel it nor control my lower lip movements. At the end of the day, I realized that I had blood on my inner lower lips!

The pain after treatment came in waves, similar to towards the end of the treatment when I felt sharp piercing needles coming from the roots of my teeth. It was painful but bearable, though I had to stop talking when that happens.

On a pain scale of 10, braces was 2. Braces wasn't painless, but I actually enjoyed the 'pain'. It was totally enjoyable and bearable pain. Laser whitening is 5, because the sharp piercing pain was really, painful and uncomfortable. Laser treatment on the skin is even more painful, perhaps a 7 when it goes deeper. Lasik on the eyes is about a 5 too, though it doesn't last that long at all. All these pain are totally bearable, simply because it doesn't last long.

I'm wondering, what is the pain level for child birth? Probably a good 8 or 9, especially if it lasts really long and takes a long time to recover.

With this less than great experience, I've crossed yet another 'goal' off my list.

I don't think I'll do it again, I might get take-home kits instead. I think I'm lucky because my teeth is not sensitive at all - I bite ice and never feel pain biting ice-cream. I've no problems drinking cold drinks and eating ice-cream today, one day after treatment. However, I reckon people with sensitive teeth would experience alot more pain and discomfort with this treatment.

I've made myself alot poorer after braces, Lasik, Laser and Zoom whitening, but arguably happier. Perhaps not everyone might understand the need for these, but it's just that, different people have different goals and wants to fulfill.