I just zoomed my way to brighter days. Yes, today, I had my teeth whitened with “a revolutionary whitening procedure.” My 51 year old teeth now look a whole lot brighter. Which is a good thing, especially since my one dimple on the left side of my cheek, which used to be cute, has turned into one long laugh line down the side of my face. So glad the focus of my smile will now be on my white teeth.

It took two hours to complete the Zoom! Professional Whitening process. I was nervous when I arrived at the dentist’s office. I told the Technician J that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to go through with this process. I must have asked her 20 questions before I finally sat down in the chair. Will it hurt? Will my teeth be sensitive? Will it impact my gums? Will it work? How long will it last? What is that thing? Are you going to put that thing in my, in my, in my mouth?

“Don’t worry,” said J, “if you can’t handle all the stuff in your mouth, we’ll stop.” And I will never leave you alone,” she reassured me as she put the plastic device inside my mouth to keep it open. I looked and felt like a duck. Then J covered my gums with gauze and a coating to prevent them from being bleached. She told me to breath through my nose and to let her know if I was having any problems or feeling too much heat. I can do this. I can do this, I can do this, I said to myself…don’t chicken out…or duck out either with a duck mouth.

I laid back and did a meditation practice while J put the bleach on my front teeth and the zoom lamp in front of my mouth for two 15 minute sessions.

Voila, 30 minutes later and my teeth were whiter (I will admit that I think I almost fell asleep during the 15 minute session. I was in a very meditative state. “You’re face is drifting,” said J, “better straighten up or your coloring will be off.”) “Look now,” J said as she held the mirror up to my face. I was so excited…so proud of my accomplishment and my brighter smile to show for it.

Now I just have to follow my Post-Whitening care instructions. No coffee or tea for the next two days (not even decaf). No mustard or ketchup. No cola (luckily I don’t drink soda anymore.) No red wine (good thing I prefer white.) No soy sauce or red sauce (will have to save my favorite Victoria Marinara sauce for another week.) No berry pie either.

I told J that I will follow her instructions. I promise to use white toothpaste, and eat white foods for the next few days to honor my new white teeth. Tonight, I ate white pasta for dinner and drank a glass of white wine. Tomorrow, I will plan a white and light colored menu as well: For breakfast, I will have white milk on my beige Kashi cereal and yellow bananas with my vanilla yogurt. For lunch, I will have some white tuna with white mayonnaise and clear water. I will miss my daily Snapple Iced Tea. I’ll have to think of other white and light colored foods to have for dinner – I know, I know, I can have an egg white omelet with white feta cheese!

I am so pleased with my “sparkling Zoom!” smile. “How much younger do I look?,” I asked J. “Ten years, five years, three years…how much younger do I look?,” tell me I said to J.

“You look younger than you are,” said J. “You look great.”

“How long will this whitening process last,” I asked J as I paid the $500 bill.

“It lasts about a year and we give you whitening trays that you can use at home too to help your teeth stay white. After your teeth are zoomed they never go back to their original color,” added J.

“Wow, never,” I said. “I guess brighter days are here to stay for the rest of my 50+ life.” I said to J with a big wide smile.

Mirror, mirror on the wall…who has the whitest teeth of all? Me, me, me, meeeeeeee!

Now I’ll just have to figure out a way to touch up my dimple. Maybe Zoom! will come out with a dimple procedure sometime soon. I’ll be waiting.

Judi