Over time, you may notice yellowing, staining, or dullness impacting your teeth. Poor oral habits may affect the appearance of your smile. But teeth can become discolored due to factors outside of your control, including aging or medicinal side effects.
If you want to enhance the color of your teeth, you can schedule teeth whitening treatment with your dental professional. Once you receive these cosmetic benefits, you will want to take efforts to maintain this smile enhancement for as long as possible. Read on to learn three tips for keeping your smile looking its best after whitening your teeth with your dentist.
Aftercare for Your Smile After Teeth Whitening
Avoid Foods and Drinks That Stain
One reason that many people get discoloration in their teeth is that they consume foods and drinks that contain staining agents. Dark-colored beverages, for instance, like coffee, tea, or red wine, feature tannins. This substance absorbs into the tooth enamel over time, leaving dark stains behind on the surface of your teeth.
Whitening treatment from your dentist can target these deep stains with a special gel that bleaches the teeth to achieve your ideal color. However, exposure to tannins will cause teeth to darken again.
For this reason, if you want to keep your teeth looking bright after a whitening treatment, you should avoid foods and drinks that could stain your teeth. Sipping dark-colored drinks through a straw can lower the risk of tooth discoloration. But it will not protect the look of your smile completely.
Continue Good Oral Hygiene Practices
If your teeth remain healthy, they will be better able to resist factors that could cause teeth to become discolored. The best way that you can keep your smile feeling and therefore looking its best is to practice good oral hygiene.
This entails brushing your teeth twice each day and flossing on a daily basis. Rinsing with a mouthwash that contains fluoride can boost the strength of your tooth enamel.
This will make your teeth even more able to resist staining. If you do not keep up with your oral hygiene regimen, plaque can linger on your smile, eating away at your teeth and making them vulnerable to cosmetic and structural damage, even after a whitening treatment.
Visit Your Dentist for Regular Check-Ups
A major part of your oral hygiene routine should also include regular appointments with your dentist. During routine visits, your dentist cleans plaque and tartar from your teeth that are difficult to reach with your toothbrush and floss.
Your dentist can also examine your smile for signs of cavities or periodontal disease. They can provide prompt treatment before these issues can cause lasting damage to your teeth and gums.
This preventative dental care ensures you can maintain good oral health. In turn, it will allow the effects of your cosmetic dental treatment to last longer.