Teeth whitening does not leave your teeth white forever. If you expose your teeth to foods and drinks with a lot of dyes, you may notice that the white of your teeth will fade within the first month after the whitening is done. With minimal maintenance, you can make it last for one to three years or even longer!
What can I do to maintain my teeth whitening?
Here are some tips to help you maintain the whiteness you have worked so hard to achieve:
- Avoid consuming foods and drinks that pigment your teeth, such as coffee, tea, coke, artificial juices, red wine, very red fruits (blueberries, cherries, blackberries…), balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and colorings such as curry.
- If you must consume any of these beverages, try to use a straw so that the contact of the liquids with the outside of your teeth is as little as possible.
- Immediately after eating or drinking these types of foods and beverages, rinse your mouth or brush your teeth.
- Maintain good oral hygiene. Brush your teeth at least twice daily and floss at least once a day to remove all plaque. Use a whitening paste (once or twice weekly) to remove surface stains and prevent teeth from yellowing. Use your regular toothpaste the rest of the week.
- Every half a year you can apply a reminder dose of whitening at home, which you can ask your dentist for.
- Eat crunchy foods rich in water, such as raw fruits and vegetables (apples, celery, pears, carrots ….) that stimulate salivation and the dragging of food debris. Saliva washes the teeth and also neutralizes the acid that causes caries and erodes the enamel. Chewing sugarless gum after eating has a similar effect, as it also stimulates saliva secretion (although it should be remembered that it does not replace tooth brushing).
- Reduce alcohol intake and drink more water. Alcohol causes dehydration and decreases the amount of saliva.
- Try not to smoke tobacco. It is the most coloring element.
- Energy drinks, apart from containing dyes, can become abrasive to tooth enamel. As we lose enamel, the underlying dentin, which is a yellowish tissue, becomes more transparent.
- Be especially careful with antibacterial mouthwashes, as they may contain substances that tend to darken teeth if used continuously, including Chlorhexidine and Cetylpyridinium Chloride. And always check that they do not contain alcohol!