Having your teeth whitened by a cosmetic dentist is a great way to give yourself a brilliant smile and restore your confidence. But there are a few simple guidelines you need to follow after the appointment to ensure that the treatment works as well as possible.
Avoid staining drinks
For the next twenty-four hours after having your teeth whitened, you should avoid all dark-coloured drinks like tea, coffee or red wine. These may have contributed to your teeth staining over time, but immediately after treatment, their effect is greatly magnified. As a general rule, you should avoid any coloured drinks, whether alcoholic or not.
Avoid coloured foods
For forty-eight hours, you should stick to "white foods" — as a general rule, anything that would leave a stain if you spilt it on your clothes should be avoided. You should be safe with white meat such as chicken, most types of fish and light-coloured vegetables such as cauliflower and potatoes. You should try to stick to white bread and rice, and only drink skimmed milk. Coloured fruit and vegetables should be avoided, as should sauces, most dairy products and any kinds of chocolate or sweets. These could very easily cause new staining on your teeth and undo the whitening treatment.
Avoid smoking
Smoking is one of the biggest causes of stains on teeth, and once again the effect will be much greater if you do it within forty-eight hours of whitening treatment. However, electronic cigarettes, used in moderation, should not cause too many problems.
Oral hygiene
You should not clean your teeth for a few hours after leaving the surgery, perhaps not until the next day. After that, a good oral hygiene routine is essential. Coloured toothpastes and mouthwashes should be avoided, and you should consider using a whitening toothpaste in the future. Otherwise, you can clean your teeth as normal - twice a day, along with daily flossing.
Good habits
After forty-eight hours have passed you should not need to take any special action regarding your treatment. However, you can help prevent further stains from building up by avoiding coloured drinks, stopping smoking and avoiding sugary foods and drinks. If this is coupled with a good daily teeth-cleaning regime, you should find your teeth stay whiter for longer.
You should not experience any problems after your teeth whitening treatment. If you have any questions or worries, just contact your dentist.
