The dentist applies a strong bleaching gel (about 35 per cent hydrogen peroxide) on each tooth and exposes it to intense light.

In the resulting reaction, coloured molecules are oxidised into smaller, less pigmented molecules. This can whiten teeth by six to ten shades. Some dentists use chlorine dioxide which causes less sensitivity and seems to be more effective at whitening teeth.

Popular brands are Power Whitening, Britesmile and Enlighten. This method costs from £450 to £775, takes about an hour and the colour change lasts between two and three years, sometimes more. There are few drawbacks: during the procedure, you have to wear a mouthguard to keep the gel away from the gums, which can feel slightly uncomfortable, and there may be sensitivity for a day or two.

You may not be suitable for this treatment if you have 'synthetic teeth' (veneers, crowns or a bridge), are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have sensitive teeth.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-148081/How-white-smile.html#ixzz3pBtnDdPe Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Brand new whitening system that combines at-home and in-surgery whitening for top results.

Enlighten is an innovative form of teeth whitening which uses ¼ less hydrogen peroxide than normal whitening methods in order to minimise sensitivity, while still taking your teeth to their brightest natural shade.

Sound too good to be true? Well, the science behind the new treatment is that it increases the tooth's permeability to oxygen which helps to break down stubborn stains.

So what's the process? First your dentist will make some bespoke moulds of your teeth which typically take a couple of weeks to come back. Then, when they're ready, you make another appointment for your moulds to be checked and to learn how to use the at-home whitening kit.

The at-home treatment lasts for two weeks. This requires you to wear the clear moulds, filled with whitening gel, overnight. After the first week, you swap to a stronger gel to see the even brighter results. Whitening could be seen from very early on, but some sensitivity was felt despite the claims particularly with the stronger gel.

After a fortnight of treatment at home, a 40-minute in-surgery session is required where moulds are worn with an even stronger application of gel. A very effective de-sensitiser was available on request before starting.

Overall, at the end of the session teeth were definitely a couple of shades lighter confirmed by the before and after photos taken in the dentist's chair.

Does it work? Yes, without a doubt teeth were brighter without getting a 'Ross-from-friends' unnatural neon glow, but be prepared for some discomfort. Also, be aware that there are a lot of banned foods while undergoing treatment including tea, coffee, red wine, anything tomato-based and curry.

Red Rating: 8/10 purely because it was quite painful at times.

Bespoke moulds, home whitening and in-surgery session from £450. We trialled this treatment at the Harley Street Dental Surgery. Visit Enlightensmiles.com for details of nationwide treatment options.

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Ages ago I was reading something about people from TOWIE (why I don't know because I don't even watch the programme) and it mentioned that a lot of them had had Enlighten teeth whitening. I don't normally use TOWIE as my style inspiration but you have to admit they all have really white teeth!

I did a bit more reading about Enlighten whitening and found out it's the only teeth whitening system that guarantees VITA shade B1, the lightest shade on the dental shade scale and quite often people who have the treatment will go off the dental shade scale and onto the whitening scale which is exciting! Check out the before and after gallery here - it's impressive!

I decided to get Enlighten whitening before my wedding in July and was just in the midst of getting together local prices when the lovely people at Smile Stylist in Manchester got in touch.

Smile Stylist are a cosmetic and private dental practice based in House of Fraser on Deansgate (as well as other nationwide locations). The practice I visited is really modern, clean and spacious and all the staff that I met were very friendly and helpful. Quite a few local celebs (Michelle Keegan, Jorgie Porter, Catherine Tyldsley) get their cosmetic dentistry done here so I felt like I was in good company. The dentist that I saw - Sam Hainsworth - was very knowledgeable, explained things clearly and answered all of my questions, even when I went off track a bit and started asking about braces!

The first step is getting a mould of your teeth made so that they can create some whitening trays that fit your teeth perfectly. This isn't particularly glamorous but it's straightforward, quick and doesn't hurt or anything. My trays were ready really quickly so I just popped back a week later to pick them up, get the Enlighten whitening gel and have someone talk me through the process.

The process itself is really easy too, you clean your teeth and then just add a tiny bit of the gel to each 'tooth' section of your whitening trays, pop them in your mouth and leave for 3 hours. You do this for 14 days. It wasn't painful or awkward, the first time I used the gel I had a few 'jolts' where it feels like a bit of a 'zing' down your teeth but it wasn't bad.

My teeth felt quite sensitive from the first treatment with the whitening gel - again, not painful but very aware of the cold air outside on my teeth (which sounds weird) and eating stuff like ice cream was out. I slept with my trays in a few nights, mainly if I hadn't got in until late on, and I did find that this increased my sesitivity the next day. They also recommend you avoid eating or drinking 'anything that would stain a white shirt' which includes stuff like tea, coffee and beetroot for 24 hours after a treatment which is no biggie. The sensitivity goes away after about 24 hours which I thought was good news.

I was really pleased with the results, and I felt like my teeth looked whiter 2-3 days in. I plan to get a top up done near my wedding so my teeth are extra blingy in the photos!

Here's my results in photographs - neither of these photographs have been edited (other than cropped), I'm just wearing a different lipstick in the after photo. My skin in both pics is the same colour which is testament to how much the colour of my teeth has improved. So impressed with the difference as it's hard to tell when you're scrutinising your teeth each day!

Before Enlighten Whitening

After Enlighten Whitening

I'd thoroughly recommend Enlighten teeth whitening at Smile Stylist, I found the whole process really straightforward, the staff put me at ease from start to finish and I think the difference in my teeth says it all really. So pleased!

For more information about Smile Stylist or Enlighten Whitening visit their website at http://www.smilestylist.co.uk/ - they're based around the country, not just Manchester so see if there's a practice near you!

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