3 Things to Avoid When Whitening Your Teeth

Teeth whitening is today’s modern approach to effective teeth beautification. If you’re ready to brighten and whiten your smile with professional teeth whitening, dental clinics nowadays have the expertise and treatment to improve the whiteness of your teeth by up to eight shades. If you’re ready to smile more confidently, reach out and get those pearly white whitened to a T.

Today, let us know more about teeth whitening, how it works, and what three (3) things to avoid when achieving this feat. Read until the end and discover if today’s teeth whitening can address your dental concern.

What is Teeth Whitening?

Teeth whitening removes the stains and discoloration from your teeth with a bleaching solution to give you a brighter, whiter smile. You’re monitored throughout treatment when choosing a professional dentist to whiten your teeth. 

Compared to over-the-counter teeth whitening products, your provider uses a professional-grade whitening agent with a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide, making your results far more noticeable. You can also rely on your provider for safe treatment.

How Teeth Whitening Can Improve My Smile

Your teeth can become stained or discolored for several reasons. One includes the simple wear-and-tear to your enamel over time, ultimately revealing the yellowish layer called dentin. 

Tar and nicotine from chewing tobacco or smoking cigarettes can also play a role in dulling the color of your teeth, leaving stains on your enamel.

What to Expect from Teeth Whitening

When you visit dental clinics, your provider has you sit comfortably in a dental chair as they prepare your teeth. They place a rubber shield in your mouth to protect your gums and lips from the bleaching solution. Then they apply the bleaching agent. 

Within minutes, the treatment begins to work, allowing oxygen to penetrate your enamel to lift stains and whiten your teeth. Your provider may also use a laser on your teeth after applying the bleaching gel to speed up the whitening process.

The teeth whitening treatment lasts less than an hour from beginning to end, and you walk out with a beautiful, radiant smile.

How Long Teeth Whitening Results Last

Your teeth whitening results can last 1-2 years, depending on your oral hygiene. Your provider will likely recommend the following:

• Brush your teeth at least twice daily with a soft-bristled toothbrush
• Floss at least once a day
• Use an antiseptic mouth rinse daily
• Keep your routine appointments with your dentist

You should also avoid stain-causing food and drinks to prolong the whiteness of your teeth. Book your appointment for professional teeth whitening and discover what this treatment can do for you and your teeth.

Other Services Provided

At dental clinics, aside from teeth whitening, experts provide quick surgical extractions, root canals, tooth splints, crowns, or bridges, and complete or partial denture repair or adjustment, among others. 

Dentistry provides the latest technology, from digital x-rays to panorex to a 3D CT cone beam. The goal is for your problem to be resolved the same day. However, dental experts also hold themselves to the highest standards, so if they cannot handle the complete treatment of your root canal or extraction. They do have specialists that they may refer you to for assistance.

Aside from teeth whitening, here are some of the standard services offered by dental clinics across the board:

• Biopsies
• Bone Grafting
• Bridges
• Cleaning
• Clear Aligners
• Crowns
• Dentures
• Digital X-Rays
• Emergency Dentistry
• Extractions
• Fillings
• First Check-Up
• Fixed Hybrid
• Implants
• Nitrous
• Oral Surgery
• Partials
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Preventative Care
• Root Canal
• Sedation Dentistry
• Sinus Lifts
• Veneers
• Wisdom Teeth
• 3D CTs

3 Things to Avoid When Whitening Your Teeth

If you want to keep the effects of our teeth whitening and our smiles shining bright white, here are some helpful guidelines to follow after getting your teeth whitening procedure. 

1. Avoid dark-colored drinks and beverages.

After your teeth whitening treatment, avoid dark-colored beverages such as all:

• Beer
• Carrot Juice
• Coffee
• Cola
• Fruit juices
• Gatorade 
• Grape Drinks
• Green Juice 
• Red wine
• Sodas
• Tea
• Tomato Juice

Furthermore, these drinks can significantly stain your teeth, which can make your teeth yellow. You can consider drinking through a straw if you can’t miss your usual morning coffee or tea. Using straws will help keep liquids away from your whitened teeth, and your smile will remain white.

2. Avoid food that stains.

When you want your teeth whitening to continue that bright, long-lasting smile, refrain from eating certain foods that stain your teeth. For instance, acidic, greasy, or dark-colored foods can significantly damage your teeth’s enamel, eventually causing staining. Here are some food samples to avoid after your teeth whitening procedure.

• Dark-colored sauces, such as balsamic vinegar, pasta sauce, red sauce, soy sauce, and the likes
• Acidic fruits like citrus, kiwis, lemons, limes, mangoes, oranges, pomegranates, and plums, among others
• Colorful spices like curry, paprika, turmeric, etc.
• Colorful and vibrant vegetables, such as beetroots, carrots, spinach, and tomatoes
• Highly pigmented berries, that is, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries
• Milk and dark chocolate
• Colored candies (both natural and artificial), such as skittles, M&Ms, and smarties
• Hot and spicy food like hot tamales, red hots, etc.
• Red meat or chili

Pro Tip: if the food can stain your shirt, it can also stain your teeth. You can choose light-colored food and vegetables like cauliflowers, kinds of pasta, white fish, cheeses, grilled chicken breasts, and tofu.

3. Stop smoking and consuming tobacco.

Smoking or consuming tobacco in any form can mean adverse health effects on our bodies. One of the quickest ways to stain your teeth is to smoke. You must constantly retouch these stains to maintain your smile if you smoke or chew tobacco. Smoking and tobacco can cause brown colors across your teeth or even permanent discoloration, requiring other cosmetic dental procedures such as veneers.

How to Maintain Your Oral Health

Even after receiving those pearly whites, you still need to brush regularly to help maintain the effects of your teeth whitening. After teeth whitening treatment, your teeth will more likely become quite sensitive. When this event happens, experts suggest using a soft-bristled brush and non-abrasive toothpaste. It would be best to regularly visit your dentist for routine dental check-ups at least every six (6) months to ensure optimal oral health.

The Bottomline

Teeth whitening includes various treatments and techniques to create a brighter smile. Regardless of your decision, there’s no reason to be ashamed of your smile. The most important thing is that your teeth are healthy and functional. While many people find tooth whitening increases self-confidence, we must reduce the stigma surrounding smiles’ broad, natural diversity.

Do you want teeth whitening for your not-so-pearly whites? Our great friends at Solomon Family Dentistry can help you today. Visit them now!