Zoom Whitening: Stories

Purchased service thru GroupOn. Did some research first and decided to go for it. Discussed the procedure with both the dentist and the dental tech. Was impressed by the thoroughness of protection to my lips, cheeks and gums, which can be irritated by the lightening goop. The tech warned me of the zingers. Didn't get my first one until the end of the second treatment. If you have ever made the mistake of biting on aluminum foil on a filling, it feels kinda like that. Not pleasant, surely, but manageable.

My teeth (in my early 50s, coffee and red wine drinker) lightened up 7 shades--sounds like a lot, but they were not that bad and are now not that white, but definitely lighter and brighter. I fully expect to lose a shade in the next several days as I get off "white" food. That's OK with me.

The people who report intense pain may have had unknown dental issues, like loose or bad fillings. I have many fillings myself (improper tooth care as a child), but as an adult see a dentist twice a year for regular cleanings and get old fillings fixed up. Do your research and know your mouth.

My mouth hurt a bit the first night, but the following morning, no zingers and no pain. I also brushed on the first day several times with Sensedyne (sp?) toothpaste and warm water. That helped with the zingers. The worst part of the whole procedure to me was, toward the end, the smell of the goop started to get to me: it was a bit antiseptic-chemically smelling, but not that bad.

Bottom line: if your tooth are in overall good shape, your teeth have some age- or drink-related dinge, and if you are not a pain-phobe or overly sensitive to mouth pain, I say go for it.