Teeth are exposed to wide range of substances over the years, and repeated exposure to many foods and beverages can leave your enamel with unsightly stains and discoloration. Fortunately, your dentist can administer a teeth whitening treatment to lift stains and leave your teeth up to eight shades whiter, but the process will temporarily leave your smile more vulnerable to developing new stains. Here’s a brief guide to a few foods and beverages to avoid after treatment so you can preserve your results.
How Does Teeth Whitening Work?
While you can find a wide selection of teeth whitening products at your local grocery store or pharmacy, these often deliver lackluster results and can even lead to injury due to poor manufacturing or user error. Teeth whitening treatments from your dentist, on the other hand, are administered by a trained professional using customized dental trays designed to fit your smile to ensure maximum safety and optimal results.
Professional teeth whitening treatments use specialized concentrated whitening agents to achieve noticeable results in a brief timeframe. While these substances will not harm your enamel if they are administered by a qualified dentist, they will leave your teeth vulnerable to developing new stains while they are recovering after treatment. Thankfully, avoiding certain foods and beverages for a few days can help you keep your teeth bright and gorgeous.
What Foods Should I Avoid After Teeth Whitening?
Foods that are acidic, sugary, or heavy in pigments or dyes can cause new stains to form on your teeth. During the first few days after your professional teeth whitening treatment, take care to avoid:
- Dark beverages: Skip coffee, tea, cola, red wine, and sports drinks.
- Colorful sauces: Avoid soy sauce, barbeque sauce, ketchup, or any other sauce that is richly colored.
- Stain-causing foods: Berries (including tomatoes) and colorful candies are heavy with pigments that can leave their mark upon your teeth.
- Acidic items: Acid is harsh on your enamel, to stay away from items like soda, hot sauce, and citrus fruits.
What Foods Should I Enjoy After Teeth Whitening?
Luckily, there is a wide variety of mild-yet-tasty white foods that are safe to enjoy after teeth whitening. A few of these include:
- Mashed potatoes
- Pasta (without tomato sauce)
- Milk
- Hot cereal such as oatmeal
- Steamed veggies
- White fish
- Chicken
Don’t let the wrong foods and beverages spoil the results of your professional teeth whitening treatment. Consulting with your dentist can help you find the best ways to keep your smile bright and shiny.
About the Author
Dr. Sheren Elsaid earned her dental degree at Temple University and completed her Advanced Education in General Dentistry at NYU. She is a member of the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and her office in Parsippany offers general, restorative, emergency, and cosmetic dentistry such as teeth whitening. To learn more about how you can preserve your teeth whitening results, contact her office online or dial (973) 370-5221.