Teeth whitening: The perfect smile once required lucky genes and a cautious diet. Sweets were out, coffee and cigarettes a forbidden pleasure. But today, a dazzling grin is within reach of anyone. You just have to be prepared to pay for it.
The cosmetic dentistry industry has finally arrived in Ireland and is making up for lost time. A "tooth-whitening" clinic recently opened in Dublin city centre; there are plans for a further three (in Cork, north Dublin and Belfast) within the year.
For €600 a dentist will bleach your teeth, giving you a pristine smile and, according to Emmet O'Neill, manager and co-owner of Smiles clinic, South Anne Street, Dublin, a heightened sense of self-confidence.
"Your smile says a lot about you," he said. "Many people are conscious about their smiles and gain in confidence after having their teeth whitened. A great smile really can boost one's self-esteem."
Smiles has, according to Mr O'Neill, been hugely and instantly successful. The clientele is extremely diverse - to the surprise, perhaps, of even the owners. Customers include not only the young and moneyed but older people who have become self-conscious about the hue of their teeth. "We had a 65-year-old priest in recently. So there's no one type of person who is having their teeth whitened. It cuts across all divisions," he said.
Two types of tooth-whitening are carried out at Smiles. The first is conducted on the premises, with a plasma light technology and an applied gel. The second is self-administered using an "at-home" gel, which the clinic has custom designed (this is cheaper at €350). Teeth stay white for, on average, 18 months.
Both treatments are, according to Mr O'Neill, absolutely safe. However, patients are required to complete a health questionnaire prior to the procedure. Pregnant women, for example, are not treated, although, strictly speaking, tooth whitening poses no risk.
However, question marks hang over the legal status of self-administered whitening with bleaches, under European law, according to Michael Galvin, vice-president of the Irish Dental Association.
A variant of hydrogen peroxide is used in teeth whitening. According to guidelines drawn up by the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Products and Non-Food Products (SCCP), bleaches containing more than 0.1 per cent hydrogen peroxide should be administered only under the supervision of a dentist.
In practice, though, bleaches containing 6 per cent or less are considered safe, even without the presence of a dentist.
The SCCP made an announcement to this effect last March. It is expected the change of position will shortly be enshrined in legislation at EU level.
The bleaches employed by Smiles fall well within the safety guidelines, said Mr O'Neill.
Whitening clinics may also be in breach of the law if they publicise their wares, according to the Dental Association. Under Medical Council rules, dentists are not permitted to advertise (this is why Northern Ireland dentists may run adverts in the Golden Pages, while those practising in the Republic are forbidden from doing so).
As tooth-whitening clinics employ dentists, they come within the provisions of the regulation.
Privately, however, many dentists say they do not perceive services such as Smiles as a threat and the matter is thought unlikely to come to a head.
Smiles believes it doesn't breach the guidelines, which, it says, allow newly opened clinics to advertise.
The halogen-bright smiles for which Americans, in particular, are renowned, are not recommended for most Irish people, according to Mr O'Neill.
Naturally, our teeth colour tend towards yellow: having your teeth bleached to a blinding white may leave you looking absurd.
"The bling-bling look won't suit most people," he said. "We recommend usually that you go for something a little more toned down. You don't want to look over the top."
Legal vagaries notwithstanding, tooth whitening can only grow more popular, said Mr Galvin.
"It's well on the way. Patients are demanding a more cosmetic type of treatment and dentists are responding by giving them what they want."
One reason why tooth whitening is in demand is that it is perceived as a luxury rather than part of one's healthcare regime, according to Mr O'Neill.
At Smiles, the clinic is designed to be, in spirit at least, as far removed as possible from a dental surgery.
Open-plan, with tranquil colours and piped music, the atmosphere is closer to that of an upmarket beautician.
The popularity of teeth whitening has been noted by toothpaste manufacturers; many offer products that claim to have "bleaching properties".
However, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in such toothpastes is so low they have virtually no effect, according to Mr Galvin.
"They are more or less ineffective. Certainly, they won't give you a dazzling smile," he said.
