Getting that Hollywood smile: Popular, simple and cost effective

“Whitening is one of the most popular, simple and cost-effective things you can do for your teeth,” says Morgan O’Gara of Blackrock Dental.

“We take a digital scan of your mouth, make a custom gum shield, and give you a little syringe of whitening gel which you use for two to three weeks. Because it is custom made you don’t even notice it. The whole process is nice and simple and gives lovely results.”

Only a few years ago the big push among dentists was for “in-chair” whitening. Today, not so much. “It was a marketer’s dream, they’d say come in on lunch break and have your teeth whitened. But the problem was for it to work so quickly, the concentrations of the gel dentists were using were far too high and it led to issues with tooth sensitivity. It’s why the trend now of at-home whitening with custom trays is much better,” he explains.

Dentist sisters Lisa and Vanessa Creaven developed the Spotlight Oral Care brand of over-the-counter teeth whitening products. The brand has taken off worldwide including the US, the home of the Hollywood smile.

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Its success comes down to the fact that it is not just recommended by dentists but developed by them. “The whole reason Spotlight began is because our patients were looking for an option to whiten their teeth at home and there was no product on the market they could buy to do it,” says Lisa Creaven.

“We developed it using the ingredients we use in our dental practice, taking what we know as dentists to be safe and effective.”

People sometimes hear the term bleach, or hydrogen peroxide, and baulk preferring to use what they believe is a more natural alternative.

But there is 60 years of research into the safety of bleach for teeth, she says. On the other hand, there is also evidence that the use of apparently gentler materials, from charcoal to baking soda, can, over time, and if brushed too hard, cause abrasion, ultimately eroding your enamel.

Spotlight Oral Care has a wide range of products, from tooth whitening strips to whitening pens. It has also introduced a Smile Rejuvenation System which targets the lines around your mouth with special serums containing active ingredients such as collagen and elastin to plump up lips and firm the jawline.

One of the newest innovations on the market, designed to get you ready for your Hollywood close-up in no time, comes from Dentaltech. It has developed a range of Truefit Veneers which provide you with a great set of pearly whites in an instant.

“They are removable, bespoke, full set veneers that sit top and bottom and cost €795 per arch. They are aimed at people who are not a candidate for full implants,” says Dentaltech owner Bevin Mahon. “People wear them for meetings and zoom calls,” she says.

Great for a “smile makeover on a budget”, she says it takes an hour or so for your tongue to get used to them, after which you won’t lisp.

“It’s a great solution for someone who doesn’t want orthodontics, or who maybe has an overlay or crooked, chipped or missing teeth. You get an instant Hollywood smile and they can be as white or as close to your own colour as you like. People say they don’t want “Turkey Teeth” but I know some people will get their day teeth and their much whiter night teeth, and why not?”