At our practice in Buckinghamshire, teeth whitening is a very popular treatment amongst our patients, but did you know where the idea of teeth whitening first came from? We take it for granted now that we can lighten the shade of our teeth with the latest technology, but it wasn’t always the case!

Did you know that it was the ancient Egyptians who are attributed with the first recorded practice of teeth whitening? Buckinghamshire is a far cry from ancient Egypt, but the first teeth whitening pioneers were seeking to maintain or embrace the social signifiers of beauty and wealth that came with having bright white teeth in ancient Egyptian society. These early pioneers used a mixture of wine vinegar mixed with ground pumice stone to create a paste that could be applied to the teeth.

Wee and acid, are you sure that’s a good idea?

There have been many strange teeth whitening procedures employed throughout history. Some people would file down the teeth they wanted to whiten and then applied an acid that eroded the tooth enamel but left the teeth looking whiter. The only problem was this was that it tended to lead to advanced tooth decay as a result!

Even stranger were the Roman practices of using… yes, you’ve guessed it… urine, to whiten their teeth. Because of the high ammonia content of urine, the Ancient Romans used it on their teeth, the ammonia acting as a bleach to create a whiter smile. The lengths we go to for beauty!

Luckily you don’t have to go to these lengths today in Buckinghamshire. Teeth whitening is a much safer (and more hygienic) process today. Luckily you won’t have to use acid (or worse) to brighten your smile. We offer the latest in whitening technology.

At Garden View we use a power whitening treatment that can be carried out at the surgery using a special gel and an activation lamp which catalyses the gel to powerfully whiten your teeth. You can also opt for at-home trays to take with you. Whether you choose power whitening or choose to opt for a home whitening kit, you can be assured of a smile that will dazzle and amaze, with a minimum of fuss required to achieve your perfect white smile.