Pictured above: Roy Dixon
Residents of Leamington could become followers of the nation's
most popular cosmetic dental fashion after a town clinic announced
its intention to slash tooth whitening prices by almost a third
every Wednesday, in the interests of health and safety.
'Whitening Wednesdays' was launched this week by the Augusta
Dental Centre in Augusta Place. Fuelled by public interest in
makeover programmes that focus on tooth whitening as a quick and
inexpensive way to dramatically improve someone's appearance and
give them a bright white smile, the Augusta promotion aims to
prevent people attempting home whitening that could cause them
serious damage.
In a recent survey carried out on behalf of the British Academy
of Cosmetic Dentistry tooth whitening was the most popular cosmetic
dental treatment. With research also showing that colour is
the most important factor in determining the attractiveness of a
smile, it is hardly surprising that some people are attempting to
carry out DIY tooth whitening at home.
Roy Dixon, founder of Augusta Dental Centre, has himself taken
part in two cosmetic dental treatment make-over's on ITV's Make me
perfect. He says: "There are safe home tooth whitening products
available in the High Street, but because they are restricted by
law to a very low strength chemical whitening agent the whitening
process is fairly ineffectual. As a result some people are buying
rogue products on the internet which often contain high levels of
chemicals that can seriously damage teeth, lips and gums.
"It is an unfortunate fact of life that teeth can become
yellowed with age or stained from smoking or drinking tea, coffee
or red wine. But the safest and most effective method of tooth
whitening is one that is carried out by your Dentist. This non
invasive treatment, which takes about an hour, can make teeth up to
five or six shades lighter - but it can only be carried out by a
qualified dental professional. We hope that by reducing the cost of
this treatment less people in Leamington will be tempted to try and
whiten their own teeth at home."