Whitening your teeth is a quick and highly effective way of giving you a brighter, more attractive and confident smile. There are many ways you can whiten your teeth, including in-chair treatments with your dentist, whitening toothpastes and a wide range of at-home treatments. Whichever treatment you choose, you’ll want to make sure the results – and your beautiful white smile – last for a long time. After spending time and money to get your teeth looking great, the last thing you want is a rapidly discolouring smile.
Here are some strategies you can use to make your teeth whitening treatment last as long as possible.
Avoid staining foods and drinks as much as possible
Drinking beverages and food that stain your teeth will soon make your beautifully whitened teeth look dull and stained again if you do this too often. Try to minimise consumption of foods and drinks such as:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Red wine
- Blueberries
- Beetroot
Minimise the damage if you can’t avoid staining foods and drinks
In reality however, it’s not likely that you’ll be able to completely avoid foods and drinks that stain your teeth for the rest of your life. Dining out, eating at other people’s houses or being in a hurry can all lead to consumption of foods and drinks that are better avoided. If this happens occasionally, it’s not the end of the world. You just need to make sure that you do your best to minimise the damage after indulging in a food or drink that will stain your teeth.
If you must drink staining drinks, try using a straw to limit direct contact with your teeth. If you are able to brush your teeth afterwards, this is a great strategy to remove the staining agents. If this is not possible, at the very least rinse your mouth out with water after each indulgence. And brush your teeth as soon as you can.
Read steps to take before your teeth whitening.
Use a whitening toothpaste
It’s a smart idea to switch to using a whitening toothpaste after your whitening treatment. This will help remove surface stains and keep your teeth looking whiter for longer. You won’t need to use whitening toothpaste every day, however – once a week will usually be enough to get results. Keep using your regular fluoride toothpaste for the rest of the time.
Maintain good daily oral hygiene practices
Yes, you’ve heard it before, but daily brushing and flossing will definitely help keep your mouth stain-free. At the least, you should be brushing after breakfast and before going to bed. You could also take your toothbrush and toothpaste to work and brush after meals (particularly, as mentioned above, if you consume staining foods or drinks). This will really give your smile the best chance of staying white and bright.
Get your teeth professionally cleaned
While it’s great to be proactive about cleaning your teeth, there’s nothing like a professional clean to really get on top of stains. In the time between whitening treatments, aim to get your teeth professionally cleaned every six months or so. Your dentist will be able to polish off any stubborn stains that you find hard to remove yourself. This will help prevent them from becoming set in and dimming your smile.
Avoid smoking
This is a big one. Smoking is the worst for your teeth (and for many other reasons as well, of course). Having regular contact with tobacco will make your teeth look dingy, stained and yellow. Try to quit, or at the very least reduce, your smoking habit if you want your teeth to stay as white as possible. It will be better for your health too.
Click here to discover five things you should know about teeth whitening: https://www.lentinidental.com.au/blog/know-about-teeth-whitening/
Teeth whitening, while not difficult or painful, is one more thing you need to do – and one more cost you need to pay. While the results are well worth it, you probably don’t want to undergo whitening treatments more often than you have to. Following all these strategies will give your teeth the best chance of staying whiter for longer.
Keep in mind that teeth whitening is never going to be a permanent solution. For continued good results, you will need to regularly touch up your whitening treatment. However, maintaining your whitening results for as long as possible is a wise idea, so that you can enjoy your beautiful white smile for longer.
Will whitening my teeth regularly damage my teeth? Find out here: https://www.lentinidental.com.au/blog/will-whitening-teeth-damage-my-teeth/
To find out which whitening treatment might be best for your individual circumstances, contact Lentini Dental here: https://www.lentinidental.com.au/contact-us/
