Keeping Your Teeth White and Bright Between Treatments

Keeping Your Teeth White and Bright Between Treatments

Between whitening treatments, you'll need to keep up a reliable routine to make your bright, white smile last as long as possible. Whitening results simply won't last forever, but with regular maintenance, you can extend the results for a lifetime. 

Maintaining whitened teeth is simple with a little time and effort. Discover four best practices for keeping your teeth their whitest and brightest.

Good Oral Hygiene

An important thing you can do to keep your teeth as white as possible between treatments is to practice proper oral hygiene. While your dentist likely recommends brushing and flossing at least twice per day, brushing after each meal, especially those that include teeth-staining foods, is ideal.

Also, upgrading to an electric toothbrush can go a long way in preventing tooth stains. They're often far better than manual brushes at removing stain-causing particles and plaque, resulting in healthier, cleaner, and whiter teeth.

Whitening Toothpaste

Some toothpastes just don't cut it when removing surface stains. Whitening toothpastes are specially formulated to polish away surface stains and reveal a brighter, whiter smile. These toothpastes typically contain abrasives or chemicals like peroxide to break down stains and maximize tooth cleaning.

When used regularly, whitening toothpastes can also prevent your teeth from yellowing and prolong the amount of time between treatments. Practice caution, however, when incorporating a whitening toothpaste into your routine. Don't use it more often than is recommended, and take a look at the ingredients to make sure they're dentist-approved. Otherwise, it may be too irritating for your teeth and gums. 

Eating Habits

If you're a regular coffee or red wine drinker, you probably know their power to fade your white smile all too well. While indulging in the occasional cup of tea won't spell disaster for your teeth, in order to keep up the effects of a whitening treatment, cut back on any teeth-staining foods and beverages to effectively slow or stop teeth staining before it starts.

Minimize intake of the most common foods and drinks that can stain your teeth like coffee, red wine, cola, dark berries, beets, fruit juices, and tomato-based sauces. You can’t often cut out these foods entirely, but regularly consuming any or a combination of these foods and beverages won't do your white teeth any favors.

Regular Touch-Ups

For results that truly last, you'll need to keep up with periodic whitening treatments that target deeper stains. Whatever your choice of teeth whitening method, touch up approximately every six months to a year. However, if you smoke or regularly consume teeth-staining foods, you may need more frequent treatments.

How often you whiten your teeth depends on the strength of the whitening method, how often your teeth are whitened, and professional recommendations. When whitening your teeth at home, take a look at the recommended application times and duration to ensure you keep up on treatments without overdoing it.

Dental Visits

In addition to a stellar at-home routine, find time to make your way to the dentist's chair on schedule. Only your dentist's office can target hard-to-banish plaque and do it safely and thoroughly. Tooth decay and whiteners don't mix, and your dentist can diagnose and fill any cavities.

Some dental conditions prohibit teeth whitening treatments altogether, so getting a checkup to monitor the health of your teeth can keep you updated on whether you should chemically whiten your teeth. If you suspect any potential issues with your teeth, gums, mouth, or jaw, bring up any out of the ordinary symptoms at your visit.

Whether you're looking to get started with or keep up whitening treatments, The Whitening Gals have you covered. Get in touch with our office to schedule a visit, or shop with us to get your brightest, whitest smile at home.

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