MF spoke with renowned cosmetic dentist, Dr Apa, about why teeth whitening could be a great all-round health option.

Teeth of the rich and famous…
We do look after a few celebrities. I can’t really say much, but we definitely have four of the Forbes’ top 20. We have Matt Dillon, Donald Trump. Obama’s daughters? Yeah, that was a misprint.

Slaves to the media…
I think the celebrity world has perhaps driven cosmetic dentistry a little. Like anything they do, people want to aspire to be like them. But i would say it’s more big companies like Crest, who pump money into bleaching advertising about having a white smile.

Be healthy…
Your whitened teeth should be unnoticeable really, you should just see the healthy guy – the teeth are just part of the overall package.

Be individual…
People often come to me with a picture of a celebrity and say, “I want that.” It kind of raises a flag. There used to be a surgeon that did everyone’s nose back in the late 90s, his name was Dr. Diamond. He did this pinch at the bridge of the nose. Everyone had them and you could really spot it a mile away.

How it works…
We use a laser activated bleaching system. It’s 37 per cent hydrogen peroxide that we put on the teeth in three 15 minute sessions under the lamps – which activate the bleach. We then advise you to top things up with trays or a bleaching pen.

Success rate…
It always works, there’s just varying degrees of success. Everybody gets different results. The tendency is for people with yellow-white teeth to go very white, and for grey-white teeth not to get as good as a result.

Don’t believe what you read…
Bleaching used to have a bad rap for taking enamel off the teeth, but those concerns were based on the over-the-counter bleaching kits. To be honest, all professional treatments are fine.

Staining…
Finally, if you really want to keep things nice and mark-free, then avoid things like tea, coffee, and shisha. If you get regular professional cleanings by a dentist though, you should be fine.

Source: Men’s Fitness Middle East Edition March 2011