TL;DR: Serious chemical burn on my gums, but at least they gave me a refund.
Full story: Stopped here 6/1/23 while walking around the mall. I rarely do impulsive things, and this experience reminds me why.
First of all, they employ attractive young women, who as it turns out don't have any kind of dental training. As soon as you walk up they start the hard sell techniques. They wheel and deal you, lay on the flattery, offering all kinds of "free" and "discounted" features, which I am well aware are likely just the regular price, which they had originally inflated for their sales pitch. "It only takes 20 minutes!" Then when you've agreed they inform you that for the best results you should add an additional 20 minutes, and they'll give it to you for a discount. Suffice to say, the procedure is 40 minutes; the 20 minute claim is a bait and switch.
Then you pay and sit in the chair, where the girl wipes your teeth and gums off, saying dry surfaces react better to the procedure. They don't have you read about any risks or offer a protective barrier for your gums (which they should!). She took a close-up before picture of my teeth so I could see how much whiter they were after the treatment.
The girl applied the gel and positioned the light over my teeth. Within seconds it was stinging along my top gum line. I asked her if it was supposed to sting and she said "stinging is normal" and to let her know if it was unbearable. I should have stopped right then. I began timing the procedure with my phone because not knowing how close I am to being finished makes me anxious.
After white-knuckling it through 20 minutes I told the girl I wanted to stop because it was burning so badly, and I thought since it had been 20 minutes I'd have got the full effect of the treatment, just not super white, but at least as white as what she and I discussed. I told her I couldn't take the burning feeling, but she said she'd put vitamin e oil on my gums so I could keep going. She put vitamin e on and it hurt more than helped. She insisted I finish my 40 minute treatment but I said I couldn't. She said the gel must have slid down onto my gums, and that my gums "must be extra sensitive" (never been a problem before).
Both girls working the booth got all "Oh my gooooosh your teeth are so white!" (They're not.) It was annoying, as they've clearly been instructed to lay on the flattery once again.
The girl gave me some more vitamin e oil to apply to my gums myself and a card to return another time to finish my 20 minute procedure. She was very nice about all of it, which is part of why I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1. There were white lines and patches on my gums which she said was "normal" and will go away soon.
After I walked away, I went to the restroom and looked at my gums in better lighting. They were bright red and swollen, and the white marks were intensely painful. Over the next few days the pain only got worse, the whitest marks turned into scabs (ever had a scab in your mouth? It's unpleasant). The pain was so bad I went to urgent care, and the doctor diagnosed it as a chemical burn. She obviously told me to never go to this business again.
Considering the chemical burn and the fact that my teeth look no whiter after almost a week, I felt entitled to a refund. I sent an email to the address on their website, which got bounced back as an invalid email address. I sent a message through their website and got no response. Finally I went on their Facebook and posted a comment and sent them a DM in case the comment got deleted. They called and tried to convince me to come in for another treatment. lol Absolutely not. They offered a partial refund, which I declined and insisted on a full refund because, I mean, teeth the same color and burned gums - I didn't feel unreasonable. They didn't argue and gave me a refund, which is another reason for 2 stars instead of 1.
I'm sure lots of people have a wonderful experience, but I did not. I care a lot about and for my teeth, so being scared I had done permanent damage to my mouth for impulsive vanity was a horrible thing to worry about. It's been a couple weeks, and my gums are healed, but there are very distinct scars along my gum line from the burn. read more