Fixing my smile with dental care

Collaboration with Ebeling dentists
Contains a discount for you at the end of this post

Some of you might remember me talking about a big collaboration coming up. Well – now it’s finally here and I’m very excited to tell you that it’s with Ebeling dentists! I knew I wanted to get my teeth and smile fixed – and it was important to me, that the place I would go, would be the kind of place I would go to even outside of the collaboration. Risto has been their client for over a year already and he has always been very happy with everything, so I knew it would probably be the right place for me too. So let’s get into the subject, that is my teeth.

First of all: what was wrong with my teeth? In pictures they might seem fine and I’ve even gotten a few compliments on them, of how straight and white they look. But in reality, I was feeling a bit self conscious about them. I had pretty bad stains on my lower teeth. And I know I’m not alone – it seems to be pretty common to be ashamed of your teeth. Maybe they’re not that straight, or maybe their color isn’t that even. It saddens me too hear, every time someone says they try not to smile that wide, so that their teeth wouldn’t show. I can relate to that, but at the same time I feel like it shouldn’t be like that.

Teeth are a pretty distinctive part of us, so it makes sense to keep good care of them. Spend a little time, effort and money on them. So keeping that in mind, I’d like to tell you about a few things you could do to your teeth to boost up your confidence.

Calculus/plaque removal & soda cleaning

Did you know, that calculus can cause you bad breath and gingivitis?
And did you know, that removing calculus and cleaning your teeth with soda can make your teeth totally stain-free, clean and whiter?

I had gingivitis before going to the procedure, and I was intrigued to hear that calculus can affect that infection and cause that. I wonder if that was the case with me. I was happy about this appointment, because I knew removing calculus would already make my teeth look better.

But what was even more intriguing was the soda cleaning, that was done to my teeth. I had never even heard of that – and it’s no wonder. I’ve only been a customer to public dental care and they don’t really care of the aesthetic aspect of your teeth. In other words: they won’t remove your stains, as it’s just your problem. But having done this once – I’m already hooked! I think in the future this will act as my teeth whitening. Just look at the photos and see how good my teeth look.

And as always with teeth procedures, the guestion is: does it hurt? Nope. The only thing that felt a bit uncomfortable was the scraping and removing of the calculus (but that could also be, because of the inflammation I had on my gums). The other part, soda cleaning, didn’t feel like anything.

For anyone suffering from stains – I urge you to try the soda cleaning! It’s also a great option for teeth whitening, as it does brighten your smile quite a lot. I know teeth whitening might cause ache to some, so this would also be a painless option.

Dentist Sakari Ebeling answered some questions:

How does soda cleaning work?
Small sodium bicarbonate crystals are blown with water-air shower on the tooth’s surface and that removes the stains and calculus.

Does soda cleaning affect my dental enamel?
In normal use, no. If you would do it every day, then it could wear out the dental enamel, just like brushing your teeth too hard could do.

Can I whiten my teeth at home with baking soda?
It’s not recommended. Brushing your teeth with baking soda at home may wear out your dental enamel. In some DIY teeth whitening instructions lemon juice is used together with soda – that especially wears out the dental enamel.

Teeth whitening

If you really want to get your teeth brighter and whiter, your option is obviously teeth whitening. Ebeling dentist do this in two ways: using the regular hydrogen peroxide or carbamide. The teeth whitening I got done, was done with hydrogen peroxide. I was a bit nervous about my appointment, as I thought that I would have to keep my mouth open for an hour and I could already feel my jaw clench. Luckily this wasn’t the case.

My teeth whitening experience was very pleasant. My dental hygienist Katariina was very calm and professional and she was constantly making sure that I was okay and that I didn’t feel any ache. I didn’t have to keep my mouth open, as the holder kept my mouth open all the time. The whitening paste was on my teeth for twenty minutes at a time, forty minutes altogether. Those two twenty minutes went by quickly and I was able to relax a little, listen to the music and check my Instagram (maybe you saw my glamorous snaps).

Does teeth whitening hurt?

I only felt a little ache in my teeth during the whitening. A small ache is normal during this procedure, but as always, it’s very personal how we experience pain. For a day, my teeth and gums felt a little sensitive, and in the evening I experienced some ache, but that’s normal and lasts only for a couple of days. For me, it was only for the day and after that my teeth were perfectly fine. So in terms of pain, I would say that it’s worth it to get a white smile only for the price of small ache in the evening.

After the procedure I got home instruction including a list of foods and drinks I should avoid. But I should mention that I did get a permission to drink latte the next day (my fellow coffee addicts surely understand). The list wasn’t long or bad and it was only for two days, so that didn’t really limit my life.

As my teeth were already quite white naturally (and thanks to the sodium carbonate cleaning!), they went about one shade whiter. You can still see the difference though: my smile is now super bright and I feel like it couldn’t be any better. This too is personal and depends on your teeth. Normally your teeth should go 1-3 shades whiter.

Dentist Sakari Ebeling also answered some questions about teeth whitening:

Does teeth whitening ruin your dental enamel?
No it doesn’t. It may cause some momentary ache in some patients. It’s still not recommended to whiten your teeth many times per a year.

Does whitening affect dentin or does it only whiten the surface of your teeth?
It whitens dentin through the small dentin tubules.

You do whitening with hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide – what’s the difference?
Hydrogen peroxide, which is the stronger substance, is mostly used in-office treatments. Carbamide peroxide is mostly used at-home-treatments. Carbamide peroxide turns to mild hydrogen peroxide and affects that way.

Dental fear & anxiety

I couln’t write this post without talking about my dental fear, because it’s pretty important to take into consideration when you’re – you know – dealing with dentists. I think almost all of us dread going to the dentist and actually having some anxiety towards it is also pretty common. Ebeling dentists provide services for people who have dental fear and they have for example a cute dog, that can be there for you, if you need it.

My anxiety wasn’t that bad at these visits, just because the atmosphere in the place is so calm and all the personnel are so nice and welcoming. And what was surprisingly calming, was the fact that there was music playing in the rooms as well! I definitely feel, that going to this place I am less scared than usual. That said, I’ll definitely get some drugs for my wisdom teeth removal later (wisdom teeth removal is my ultimate teeth nightmare after all).

I am now super happy with my teeth and I feel like it has given me a major confidence boost! It says on Ebeling’s site that “Your smile is our business card!” and me leaving the building with a silly grin on my face sure endorses that statement.

Discounts to Ebeling dentists

Now you have a great opportunity to get to Ebeling’s dental care. I recommend first booking an appointment to checkup, so you get a good insight of your teeth’s health. For me, we first checked out the situation and took roentgen picture, which showed that I have some wisdom teeth, that need to be removed soon. It’s also notable, that before whitening, plaque neeeds to be removed.

Checkup and X-ray picture  69€ (normal price 119,€)
*When you’re entitled to social insurance compensations. If you’ve been to checkup already in 2017 or 2018, the price is 15,5€ higher.

Soda cleaning free of charge, when making an appoinment to plaque removal (normal price +15€)

*Plaque removal 60mins 111€. Without social insurance compensation 129€. To get the compensation, you need a referral from a private dentist, which you get from the checkup.

Whitening 200€ (norm 300€)

Discounts are valid to appointments booked in May. You get the discount by mentioning this blog’s name ‘Charlotta Eve’, when booking.

Another thing to note – Ebeling dentists never add any additional costs or office fees. A good quality service is always included in the price.

 

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