%401x.svg)
Many lifestyle factors can impact your teeth's brightness. While we offer in-office teeth whitening at Cedar Walk Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, you still need to take measures to prevent stains after treatment. The following tips can help you to get white teeth and keep them looking great.
1. Visit Your Dentist for Powerful In-Office Whitening
The best way to keep your teeth white is by starting with a bright smile. Visit your dentist for professional teeth whitening that produces better, more promising long-term results. At Cedar Walk Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, our in-office system, GLO Professional Whitening, takes just half an hour to get your teeth up to 12 shades brighter.
2. Watch What You Eat
Once you have your teeth the shade you want, you must maintain that brightness by watching your diet. Many foods will stain your teeth, even healthy ones. Some of the most common foods that cause teeth stains and reduce your smile's brightness include:
- Marinara sauce
- Tomatoes
- Pomegranates
- Curry
- Turmeric
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Balsamic vinegar
If possible, reduce the amount of these foods in your diet or care for your teeth properly after eating them to prevent stains and discoloration.
3. Pay Attention to What You Drink
The things you drink could also cause your bright smile to darken. Many commonly consumed beverages can also discolor your teeth. Consider reducing the amount that you drink of the following:
- Coffee
- Black tea
- Red wine
- Dark-colored sodas, regular or diet
- Sports drinks
As always, water remains the best choice for the appearance and health of your teeth. But you don't have to give up your morning coffee or your evening wine. If you take precautions to prevent the drinks from staining, you can enjoy these beverages while maintaining your white smile.
4. Care for Your Teeth After Consuming Staining Foods or Drinks
After eating or drinking anything that can cause staining, rinse your mouth with water once you finish your drink or meal. This rinse helps remove some of the staining products from your teeth.
Fight the urge to brush your teeth after your meal, though immediately. Brushing too soon after a meal or drink can rub the acids from the foods against your teeth and wear dental enamel. When worn off, the enamel will not grow back, and it darkens your smile by exposing the darker dentin below. Wait 30 to 45 minutes after eating or drinking acidic things to brush your teeth to protect the enamel.
5. Visit Your Dentist Regularly
See your dentist twice a year for cleanings and checkups. Cleanings are vital steps in keeping your smile white.
Brushing your teeth removes plaque, but if you miss areas of plaque when brushing, they can harden into tartar, which has a dark color that leaves a stain on your teeth. Your toothbrush cannot remove tartar from your teeth. Only professional teeth cleaning can get rid of these stains.
Your dental exams are also crucial in keeping your teeth white. Decay can cause teeth staining; if you have the tooth repaired in the early stages of wear, you may avoid this problem.
Regular dental exams and cleanings keep your teeth white and healthy. Make them a priority in your self-care routine.
6. Keep Good Dental Hygiene Between Dental Visits
Between dental visits, don't let your dental care wain. Brush your teeth twice a day for a full two minutes. If you need to know how long you actually brush, consider using a timer or an electric toothbrush with a built-in timer. Brushing prevents plaque build-up that can turn into staining tartar. Plus, it can remove minor surface stains.
Flossing is equally as important as brushing to your dental health. This dental hygiene step removes food from between your teeth that can cause cavities, plaque, or tartar formation.
7. Regularly Replace Your Toothbrush
Your toothbrush wears down over time. Plan to replace a manual toothbrush or electric toothbrush head every three months. Using the brush beyond this, significantly when the bristles fray reduces the effectiveness the brush has in removing surface stains and food particles from your teeth.
8. Don't Use Tobacco Products
If you currently smoke or use other tobacco products, try your best to reduce the amount or stop entirely. Don't pick up the habit of using tobacco products if you don't use them already. Tobacco stains teeth and has a negative impact on your overall health and your dental health.
9. Discuss with Your Dentist Options for Individually Darkened Teeth
Even after whitening your teeth, you may have one or two teeth that still look darker than the others. These darkened teeth may have stains that started internally from decay. Talk to your dentist about getting dental veneers over these teeth to correct their coloring and match the rest of your white teeth.
Porcelain veneers can last ten years or longer and blend perfectly into your smile. Dentists frequently use veneers as a cosmetic solution to even a smile with gaps between teeth, chipped teeth, or single teeth that look darker than those nearby.
10. Use a Whitening Toothpaste to Reduce Minor Surface Stains
When brushing, you can use whitening toothpaste with the American Dental Association's seal of approval to ensure safety and effectiveness. Your toothpaste should have fluoride in it to help keep your teeth strong and prevent cavities, even if you use whitening toothpaste.
These types of toothpaste will not turn yellow teeth white. But they can remove minor surface stains from food and drink that can discolor your teeth. Don't rely on these products for brightening your teeth in several shades. In-office whitening does a better job of whitening discolored teeth.
Come See Us at Cedar Walk Family and Cosmetic Dentistry for Ways to Help You Keep Your Teeth White
Start off with whiter teeth by scheduling an appointment with us for our powerful in-office GLO teeth whitening system. Once you've had this treatment, use the above tips on how to keep teeth white. At Cedar Walk Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we help you to get a stunningly white smile and maintain your dental health. Come and see us for any of your family's dental needs.