As an avid coffee and red wine drinker, I always worry about long term stains on my teeth. I've used Crest White Strips a few times and they caused permanent sensitivity in my teeth, so I've been wary about using commercial whitening products ever since. This is where talk of The Smile Bar's safe and pain-free whitening service piqued my interest, and I went in to give the Double Whitening session a try. The entire spa-like experience was impeccable from beginning to end, and Chief Operating Officer, Julien, made me feel as comfortable as possible (and totally pampered!) throughout.
To celebrate its first anniversary, Smile Bar has launched "Sparkle Your Way Through Summer", meaning you get 15% of all whitening treatments until 31 August. So if you haven't tried it already, now's the time. Read on for details about what to expect!
The space feels super futuristic, with all-white decor, wooden floors and egg swivel chairs.
To begin, I was given my complimentary bottle of Voss while filling out the prerequisite form. Julien gave a thorough explanation on how the light technology works to provide immediate results - and it got kind of scientific so I'll just mention what I remember: The Swedish gel formula and UV light work together to get rid of stains on your teeth and to restore them to their original colour. Clearly, this is the favourable option over the popular bleaching method , which would invade the enamel and cause teeth pain/sensitivity that I've definitely experienced in the past with drugstore products and even dentists.
The 2 colours jutting out indicate how much lighter my teeth got (from s16 down to s8!). It's pretty impossible for this to be a sham, because you see the evidence there in front of you with this handy guide. Before the treatment, we went up to a lit-up vanity mirror to check which shade I was starting off with, and same for after.
Pictured above is the special gel formula that Smile Bar sources from Sweden (all products by Brilliant Smile). The formula metabolises in the air, and becomes active for around an hour after exposure. He injects it into a soft mouthpiece, which is then inserted into your mouth. The protective glasses go on, as do the complimentary noise-cancelling Bose headphones that you can connect to your iPhone. There's a charging station for your iPhone too! The UV light machine is lightly connected to your mouthpiece, and that's it! Sit back, relax, listen to music and contemplate life for around 20 minutes before the next session begins.
I noticed that Smile Bar is the only teeth-whitening service that uses Nano Seal, which is applied on the teeth after sessions to seal the whiteness and to allow you to eat freely after. This, to me, was obviously the most important part of the whole service and is definitely worth the HK$288 add-on fee.
Overall, I had a really positive experience - the service was excellent, the results were apparent, and the entire process was blissfully pain-free. The only downside is that you may experience some gum sensitivity after the UV light exposure, but Smile Bar has got you covered with Vitamin E-filled q-tips to take home and apply later if necessary.
The Smile Bar information:
Menu + Prices:
Single Whitening (20 min, HK$688)
Double Whitening (40 min, HK$1188)
Triple Whitening (60 min, HK$1588)
Nano Seal Total (+HK$288)
1/F Hang Wai Chai Commercial Building
231-233 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Monday-Saturday: 10am-10pm
Sunday: 2pm-8pm
Tel: (852) 2620-0615