Having a beautiful smile doesn’t “just” affect the way you look — it affects the way you feel, too, giving you more confidence in all sorts of settings. With professional teeth whitening, your dentist can lift away years of stains, helping you look healthier and even younger, too.
Once your professional whitening treatment is complete, you want to do all you can to maintain those beautiful results. The good news is, keeping your teeth looking their best isn’t difficult — and professional treatments can be repeated as needed to maintain your dazzling results.
In Glendora, California, Minal Patel, DDS, helps patients at Park Place Smiles enjoy whiter, brighter, healthier-looking smiles in just one office visit, with professional whitening treatments tailored to each person’s goals. If professional teeth whitening is in your future, these six simple tips can help you get the most from your treatment.
Professional teeth whitening uses solutions designed to deeply penetrate the tooth surface to break up and lift away stains and dinginess. But if your teeth are covered with plaque or tartar, it’s a lot harder for the solution to penetrate and do its job.
That’s why before having your teeth whitened, we recommend a professional cleaning. Performed at the same visit as your whitening treatment, your cleaning removes sticky plaque film and hard tartar deposits on the teeth surfaces and between teeth for results that are more dramatic and more consistent.
Many tooth stains happen over time when your teeth are repeatedly exposed to foods with dark colors, like coffee, red wine, tea, or blueberries. Of course, many foods with deep pigments are full of healthy antioxidants, so you don’t want to limit them entirely. Instead, just be aware of these foods, so you can be extra vigilant when brushing and flossing later on.
In addition to deep pigments, acids can also contribute to tooth stains. Foods like citrus fruits and juices, soda, energy drinks, and tomato products all contain acids that can soften your tooth enamel temporarily.
When you eat these foods, those acids make it easier for staining pigments to penetrate the tooth surface, contributing to yellowing and dinginess over time. As with deeply pigmented foods, you don’t have to eliminate high-acid foods; just be aware of what other foods or beverages you consume at the same time.
When you do indulge in foods or drinks that have dark pigments or high acid content, rinsing afterward is a great way to wash away pigments and rebalance your mouth’s natural pH. It’s always a good practice to rinse after eating to improve your oral health overall, since the swishing motion helps eliminate food particles that could contribute to decay or bad breath.
It might surprise you, but rinsing after eating is actually better than brushing. That’s because consuming foods and drinks also temporarily softens your enamel, and if you brush immediately afterward, you could cause the enamel to wear away more quickly. Stick with rinsing instead.
Whitening toothpastes and mouthwashes may not be enough to get your teeth as white as you’d like on their own, but when used following a professional whitening treatment, these products can help prolong your results.
Lots of whitening products are available, but they’re not all created equal. During your whitening visit, ask Dr. Patel to recommend the products that will work best for you.
Twice-yearly dental visits are important for spotting potential problems and treating them early, but they’re also important for keeping your teeth clean and beautiful. During a professional cleaning, our team uses special tools and techniques to get rid of plaque and tartar deposits, while also gently polishing each tooth’s surface to help get rid of superficial stains.
Professional teeth whitening takes just about an hour, and afterward, you’re ready to flash those pearly whites. To learn more about teeth whitening and how it can improve your smile (and your confidence), call 626-226-1802 or book an appointment online with Park Place Smiles today.
