How to Maintain Your Teeth Whitening Treatment

October 19, 2020

Filed under: Blog — Tags: , , , — southlakedental @ 1:46 pm

Teeth whitening is one of the most requested cosmetic procedures. At Southlake Family Dentistry, we offer a few different options for whitening your teeth. We also like to inform our patients on how to keep a healthy/bright smile after treatment. Maintaining your whitening treatment and adequately caring for your teeth can be just as crucial as the whitening treatment itself.

Did you know changing a few daily habits can help your whitening treatment last longer? Here are a few techniques we recommend to maintain your bright smile. 

Stay Away from Bright or Dark Colored Food and Drinks

While this is a general rule in cosmetic dentistry for avoiding stained teeth, it is even more important to follow after your in-office whitening treatment. Foods such as soy sauce, pasta sauce, balsamic vinegar, and some fruits can stain your teeth and reverse the whitening treatment effects. We also recommend avoiding certain liquids such as coffee, red wine, dark sodas, and black tea for long-lasting whitening results. 

Use a White or Colorless Toothpaste 

Did you know many toothpaste and mouthwash brands on the market contain dyes that can stain your teeth? If you’re considering a whitening treatment we recommend switching from colored mouthwash and toothpaste to white or clear. Additionally, choosing brands that contain a whitening agent can help you maintain a bright smile. 

Daily Oral Hygiene 

If you don’t already have a solid oral hygiene routine, now is the time to adopt one. This routine should include brushing, flossing, and using a colorless mouth rinse twice daily. While this routine is great for your oral health in general, it will help maintain your whitening treatment. At Southlake Family Dentistry we want your teeth to look healthy and be healthy. Maintaining good oral hygiene will help your teeth remain strong and bright. 

Set Up Your Next Treatment 

To achieve the best results from your whitening treatment we recommend that you continue treatment about every six months. Every patient’s needs are different and depending on your oral hygiene habits you may require more or less frequent whitening treatments to achieve your desired look. 

At Southlake Family Dentistry, we want you to feel confident in your smile. If you have noticed discoloration in your teeth and desire a whiter and brighter smile, contact our office to discuss your treatment options. 

DIY Tooth Whitening: Does It Work?

August 3, 2018

Filed under: Blog,Dental Health — Tags: , — southlakedental @ 5:38 pm

Everybody wants a brighter smile, but there are a number of things that stain or dull your teeth, including coffee, red wine, smoking, and certain medications. Because these changes to the color of teeth are common, it sometimes seems like everyone has a DIY tooth whitening suggestion. But do any of them really work? Take a look at what you need to know about some commonly-touted home remedies for whiter teeth.

Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is the practice of swishing oil around in the mouth for anywhere from 10-30 minutes. The practice comes from the Ayurvedic belief that oil is nourishing for all parts of the body. This is an ancient belief, but proponents of natural health remedies have contributed to a new wave of interest in the practice. But can it whiten teeth?

Like many DIY remedies, oil pulling has not been the subject of many research studies, so it’s difficult to say exactly what it can or can’t do. But it’s unlikely that oil pulling can have any effect on tooth whiteness. Swishing oil around in the mouth for an extended time period may be able to help with plaque removal, but there’s no reason to believe it can affect stains.

Activated Charcoal

Another DIY tooth whitening recommendation involves brushing teeth with activated charcoal powder. In fact, toothpastes made with activated charcoal are starting to become more popular. Activated charcoal does have many beneficial uses – doctors use it to treat poisonings and overdoses, and it is also used in air filters to remove impurities from the air.

Advocates of brushing with activated charcoal claim that the substance can remove impurities that stain the teeth. Whether or not that’s true is unclear. However, experts warn that brushing with an abrasive material like charcoal could weaken enamel and damage gum tissue.

If you want whiter teeth, your best bet is to consult your dentist. Your dentist will be able to recommend a whitening treatment that meets your needs and is both safe and effective.