With professional teeth whitening often costing a fortune, maintaining the whiteness of your teeth for as long as possible afterward is vital to ensure you get the most out of your money. Regardless of whether you opt for at-home treatments or a visit to your local dentist for bleaching, maintaining your pearly whites requires the same level of care.
So, if you want to discover the simple, easy home methods you can start using right now to maintain and increase the whiteness of your teeth after treatment, keep reading!
Avoid regularly eating foods that stain teeth
On the previous note of coffee and red wine, there’s plenty of other food and drink that can have detrimental effects to maintaining white teeth. These products include dark colored drinks such as Coca Cola, coffee, black tea and red wine, but it’s best to avoid the majority of brightly colored sauces such as ketchup and barbeque sauce, as they can also contribute to tooth staining.
However, most of us love the odd cup of coffee in the morning and you don’t have to cut these drinks out completely – a great way to safely drink them whilst minimizing staining is consuming them in conjunction with a home-whitening kit. Get the facts to give yourself peace of mind that you won’t be compromising teeth-whiteness by indulging in your favorite drinks and sauces, allowing you to maintain your perfect smile.
Maintaining an in-depth cleaning routine
We’re all told from a young age that we should brush our teeth twice a day and floss a few times a week while finishing it all off with an antibacterial rinse. However, with 1 in 10 people admitting they ‘forget’ to brush their teeth, it’s clear to see why so many people find it difficult to maintain a white smile and a decent level of oral health. Investing in teeth whitening is completely pointless if you don’t implement proper aftercare on a daily basis.
The main component to maintaining whiteness is switching up a manual toothbrush for an electric one. Electric toothbrushes have significantly more benefits and give a thorough brush to help remove plaque and tooth stains from stain-prone drinks such as coffee and red wine.
Maintaining a ‘white diet’ straight after whitening
White foods such as yogurt, milk, and rice all contribute to achieving bright and healthy teeth, especially after professional whitening has taken place. The best time to significantly include these foods into your diet is just after whitening, as they will help your teeth successfully adjust to and maintain their new color.
So, if you’ve spent a lot of your money on teeth whitening and are desperate to keep that shining smile, try incorporating the above steps into your daily routine. Achieving the best results will come from incorporating a combination of the above suggestions; not only will you achieve improved oral health, but you’ll also keep your pearly whites for much longer!
Eve Davison works as a dental assistant and is often asked about teeth whitening by her friends. Happy to help, she is now sharing her knowledge online too.
