Updated Nov 21, 2021
Once you’ve decided to whiten your teeth, keeping your teeth white and bright is another battle. To keep your white smile, you need to avoid items and habits that stain your teeth while maintaining excellent dental health. By following a few tips to keep your teeth white after whitening treatments, you can enjoy a white smile for longer and reduce surface stains’ recurrence.
Maintain Excellent Oral Health
It should come as no surprise that one of the keys to keeping up your teeth whitening treatment results is to practice good oral hygiene. When you brush your teeth a minimum of twice daily, you can remove plaque and other factors that lead to tooth stains.
For even more lasting results, brush after each meal and use a whitening toothpaste several times a week. Although whitening toothpaste can keep your teeth whiter for longer, it can also lead to sensitivity if overused. Floss every day and use products such as mouth rinses that prevent decay. Maintaining your oral health at a minimum will reduce staining and help prevent decay and gum disease.
Keep A White Diet After Treatment
Although it is especially important within the first two days after teeth whitening, keeping clear and white foods and beverages in your diet for the first two weeks can maintain your results longer. Light-colored meats, rice, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, and other pale foods that won’t affect your teeth are ideal. You don’t have to keep up the white diet long-term, but you should maintain it long enough to let the new white color of your teeth settle in.
Be Careful With Staining Foods and Drinks
Of all the advice patients receive after a teeth whitening treatment, the most common is to avoid beverages and foods that stain teeth. This is sometimes easier said than done, especially for those who love beverages such as coffee or red wine. There are many foods that can affect the tooth enamel, so consuming them with caution can help keep your smile pearly white for longer.
- Staining drinks, such as coffee, tea, red wine, and fruit juice
- Dark sauces, such as soy, barbeque, ketchup, and red pasta sauces
- Acidic, citrus foods that weaken enamel
- Dark chocolate
- Dark-colored soda
- Rare dark meats
Correct Your Staining Habits
Some of the biggest culprits of teeth staining are tobacco products. Smoking can easily stain your teeth, especially if you indulge soon after a whitening treatment with your dentist. If possible, reduce or eliminate any type of tobacco use if you want to maintain your teeth whitening results. Those who continue to use tobacco should brush their teeth more frequently to reduce buildup.
Drinking water throughout the day can help remove the residue from food and prevent plaque from forming. If you consume staining products, drinking water immediately after can reduce the effects on your teeth. You can also try drinking staining beverages through a straw to limit the drink’s contact with your tooth enamel. Purchasing metal or other types of reusable straws makes it easy to remember to use a straw for your staining drinks.
Power Up Your Toothbrush
An easy way people can remove food particles more efficiently and naturally increase teeth whitening results is to invest in a high-quality electric toothbrush. The sonic motion of an electric toothbrush makes a large difference in the brushing quality. The winning combination of whitening toothpaste, strong dental floss, and a high-quality toothbrush means you can make sure that when you brush your teeth, it really counts. Your dentist can help you pick out the toothbrush that would work best for you.
Think About a Touch Up
Even if you follow every tip for maintaining your teeth whitening results given by your dentist, the results will begin to fade over time. Taking care of your teeth makes your teeth whitening last longer, but once you notice a change in your teeth’ color or shine, it’s time to visit your dentist for a touch-up. This can happen as often as twice a year for the first few years, so your smile never becomes too dull. The touch-up procedure does not take multiple sessions and does not need to be as extensive as your original teeth whitening procedure. Your dentist can provide a color chart for you so you can check on the whiteness level of your teeth throughout the year.
Schedule a Teeth Whitening Consultation
If you are considering teeth whitening to brighten your smile but aren’t sure about maintaining your results, a consultation with your dentist can help you gather the information you need to make a decision. Some of the ways patients can keep a bright smile are avoiding staining foods and habits and taking excellent care of the teeth post-procedure. If you are interested in learning more about teeth whitening or scheduling a consultation, contact Ingenious Dentistry today. Visit our dental office in Houston, TX.
Featured Image: Syda Productions / Shutterstock
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
