Keeping Your Whitened Teeth As White as Possible For as Long as Possible

 

Patients ask us lots of questions about teeth whitening before having their teeth whitened. And there are two questions that come up a lot after patients have their teeth whitened: How long will my teeth stay this white? What can I do to keep them as white as possible for even longer than that?

The short answer to the first question is: it depends. The dramatic and exciting results of undergoing teeth whitening near you will last from between six months and two years. What does it depend on? That leads us to the answer to that second question. Just how long your teeth will stay white after undergoing teeth whitening in SW Edmonton depends on how dedicated you are to keeping them that way. Once your dentist finishes their job, the onus falls on you. Here’s what to do to keep your teeth as white as possible for as long as possible. Follow these steps to get up toward the upper end of that two to three-year range for keeping your teeth as white as possible.

Things to avoid to keep your teeth as white as possible

Teeth are easily stained by highly pigmented foods and beverages such as the following things that you should avoid as much as possible:

●     Beverages like coffee, tea, red wine, coloured soda, and coloured sports drinks

●     Soy and tomato-based sauces

●     Curries and other foods with highly pigmented spices like turmeric

●     Fruits like blueberries and pomegranates

 

If you can’t resist these foods and drinks, be sure to brush your teeth and floss as quickly and thoroughly as possible after every time that you eat and drink any of them. Having your teeth cleaned at regular dental checkups and at annual teeth cleanings will also help, but you need to do your part every day. Is it worth it? That depends, too. Do you want your teeth to stay white?

If you don’t smoke, don’t start; if you do smoke, quit

Your teeth are covered in countless tiny pores. When you smoke, the nicotine and tar in the tobacco are easily absorbed into your pores where they’ll gradually turn your teeth yellow and brown. The nicotine itself has no colour, but the combination of nicotine and oxygen produces that yellow staining substance. For that reason, the very same staining effect is produced by electronic cigarettes that use nicotine-infused e-juice. Chewing tobacco is no safer, either. The combination of brown tobacco juice combined with saliva is a powerful staining substance that will quickly ruin the appearance of whitened teeth.

Don’t skip your dental checkups

Every dental checkup includes teeth cleaning to remove plaque and tartar that affect the colour of your teeth and after plaque and tartar have been removed, polishing as well. The polishing performed by your dental hygienist can’t penetrate your enamel like the bleaching substances used by a dentist performing teeth whitening, but those polishing materials can remove substances left behind by coffee, tea and other substances like that. Checkups aren’t a substitute for brushing after every time you consume staining substances but can help preserve your whitening gains for as long as possible.

Consider touchups

If you’re up for some occasional and minor DIY work, ask your dentist in SW Edmonton to recommend a whitening pen. It’s literally a pen-like device that contains mild bleaching substances. It doesn’t duplicate the results your dentist obtained but can help remove small and minor stains that threaten to undermine the gleaming appearance of your pearly whites.

Don’t hesitate to ask your dentist and hygienist at your regular checkups whether you should schedule some chairside touchups as well. If stains are developing in specific areas or you’re preparing for a special event, a quick touchup in the office of a dentist near you might be enough to get your teeth into near-perfect condition right away.