Private Dentist

Druian & Spektor, WY 10 Whitening System, £775

The surgery
Between Chalk Farm and Belzise Park, at first glance Druian & Spektor looks more like a shop than a dentist. The waiting room is full of unusual, ethnic carvings and pictures (while standard floss kits and mouth washes are set subtly out of sight) and the receptionists are friendlier than any I have met in a dental surgery before! Any nerves I had before my first visit vanished as Mervyn and his team put me immediately at rest with their friendly, yet confident manner.

The process
After completing a form concerning my dental and health history, Mervyn asked if I had any questions about the process and I felt reassured that I could ask anything which was worrying me, he told me that it wouldn't hurt and that my teeth would be lovely and white after just one session! The shade of my teeth were measured against acrylic 'teeth' to gage what shade my teeth were before the whitening and the same was done at the end so I knew exactly how much improvement had been made. A guard was put in my mouth to keep my mouth open and my lips and gums away from the gel that is put on to teeth to numb them ready for the treatment. A second gel was added and this I'm told is what will help whiten the teeth. A small pad of UV lights was then placed over the gum shield to activate the gel. On my first visit I had three lots of light passed over my teeth each lasting ten minutes. It didn't hurt but the gum shield was a little uncomfortable - Mervyn made sure I was comfortable and happy throughout the whole process. On my second visit two weeks later I had exactly the same process with three sets of ten minutes and it seemed much quicker and simpler than the second time as I was used to the process.

The side effects
I experienced very slight sensitivity on the day of each whitening session, but no pain at all and I was allowed to eat straight after the treatment. I was just told I could only eat light foods so red wine and beetroot were out, but I could fill up on champagne and white chocolate to my hearts content (I'm loving this teeth whitening more and more!)

The results
I had been concerned that I may end up with ridiculously white teeth but in fact they were lightened more naturally and subtly - by just a couple of shades on my first visit and a couple more on my second. I was told my teeth had reached the shade of a veneer, which was impressive! Having the process split over two visits makes the treatment less obvious and easier to get used to than having it all in one go. My friends (who didn't know I had had them whitened) commented on my teeth so I really knew that they looked whiter! I am so pleased with the results and shocked at how simple and painless the process was, not only that but you're given ten sets of shields pre filled with whitening formula to allow you to top up before special occasions and to keep the effect for well over a year! (The receptionists told me I should keep the shields in the fridge so they keep for longer, which was a nice surprise for my flatmates when they reached for the milk the next morning!)

Best for: Painless, effective whitening and a great service.
Rating: 5/5