Review of Bedazzled tooth whitening system

by Dr K Harris BDS

 

I have been practicing general dentistry for over 15 years in downtown Wellington.

During the last few years there has been an explosion in interest about cosmetic dentistry. People increasingly want to have attractive white teeth. Most people understand that this is achievable through a variety of modern dental techniques but have felt the cost is out of their reach.

 

Over the last 7 years I have been prescribing whitening systems to my patients who want lighter teeth. I have personally tested many of these professional systems. They all require a customised mouth guard to be made.

First an impression is taken of the teeth. Plaster models are then made and a whitening guard is manufactured by vacuum forming over the plaster models.

For the purposes of this review I personally trialed the Bedazzled process and product. First the making of the guard:

Handling the warm softened mouth guard was a little tricky but mistakes are easily corrected by replacing in the hot water and remoulding over the teeth.

It really does shrink wrap around the teeth and I was very impressed by the close fit.

The active whitening ingredient at 24% carbomyl peroxide is a relatively high strength gel. Dentist prescribed take home systems vary between 10% and 24%.

The next strongest whitening gels are only available for supervised in house whitening that are not for take home use.

The gel itself is sticky and viscous which is highly desirable. This means the product stays on the tooth surface so the bleaching action can occur effectively.

After only three 30-minute applications I noticed my teeth starting to brighten up.

There are some drawbacks to this system being used outside a professional setting.

Purchasers need to read the excellent instructions carefully

Some discolorations respond better to a weaker whitening gel and the purchaser may not realise this. For example greyish discoloration from tetracycline antibiotics. Root filled or dead teeth require a different approach also.

The client may need a dentists advice and prescription products to control sensitivity.

The client must make their own whitening guards as opposed to having them made

professionally.

However for a DIY system BDazzled is excellent value for money. For the relatively low cost, at under half of the professionally prescribed systems, means that for a small amount of extra effort, the Bdazzled system can produce tooth-whitening results on a par with these.