Now on to the fun part—the results. I’ve attached my before and after photos above for reference. I wanted to use flash photography in the second one to get a good look at my teeth, as the dimly lit images just didn’t do the results justice. 

Now my teeth weren’t super discolored to begin with, but they were quite uneven. I noticed parts of my teeth seemed more opaquely white than others, which is a problem I’ve never seen success with until now. 

As you can tell, my teeth after the treatment were much more even-toned, brighter, and even looked glossy. I must say, my skepticism has been dissolved. 

Here’s the thing: Everyone has a different “ceiling,” so to speak, of how white their teeth can get with these treatments. It’s similar to a suntan, Veytsman says, so no matter how white you may want your teeth to be, there is a limit, and everyone’s is different. 

So rather than walking into your dentist with a reference photo as you would a hair salon, know that your teeth will be able to become whiter but only to your natural limit. So, give yourself some grace if it doesn’t turn out like an advertised image, and try not to compare yourself to the magic of Photoshop.