If you’ve been waiting for Nigeria pictures, I managed to get some together for an entry about my grandma. It’s over here. I also managed to finally take all of the pictures that were deemed print-worthy in to be printed. I can’t wait to see them all.

Some pre-Nigeria jitters (all centered around the conviction that I would arrive there and be instantly declared hopelessly unstylish and uncool) prompted me to do some things to improve my look. This included a last minute jaunt to the stylish city two hours away with Sheri to buy some clothing, the excision of the chalazion/stye that had plagued me for over a year and a rushed appointment to whiten my teeth (I tried to make a liposuction appointment but couldn’t get a suitable date).

The teeth whitening is something I planned to do anyway, so I felt quite justified spending the money at the time. However, I found the results just weren’t worth it.

Prior to the start of the process, your tooth colour is matched to one or two of a set of little model teeth, stained various shades of white and not white. I learned that the bottom teeth tend to be less white than the top (according to the owner of this whitening place, it’s because they get less oxygen than the top teeth), so people usually have a few shades different between the two. After the “teeth” they think best match your own “before” teeth are chosen, you get to confirm the choice. They then pick whiter shades of ‘teeth’ that they think you can expect your teeth to whiten to match.

Next, a mouth guard is filled with the magic solution, stuck in your mouth and a magic light is set up approximately a millimetre away from your mouth and you recline with this light shining at your teeth for a specified amount of time. I was surprised at how claustrophobic the setup made me. My gag reflex was activated pretty quickly too.

There was a point approximately halfway through the process where the professional came to check on me. The woman attending to me (who also happened to be the owner) was so excited by the progress my teeth were making that I was patting myself on the back and generally congratulating myself on accomplishing this goal. I was really excited to see the final results.

They were disappointing! I couldn’t see an appreciable difference in my teeth colour, though she claimed she could and that it was miles better. It also turned out that my teeth were not able to get as white as she had forecasted. I was very disappointed, so disappointed that when she asked if I was satisfied I told her flatly that I wasn’t. I felt like the whole setup was a gimmick somehow, then felt silly for buying it. She assured me that when people saw me and when I got home I’d notice the difference and be pleased. I told her I didn’t think that would be the case, but paid the bill and left.

My sister claims she saw a difference, but I think she was just trying to make me feel better. I forgot my camera too, so I have no before and after pictures, which would have been so helpful. The question is, should I bother crossing this item off my list when I’m likely going to see if someone else can do it better?

Filed under: Beauty by jummy