On average a professional teeth whitening treatment will last you about a year. For some people, it’s even longer than that and for others, it might be even shorter. It just depends on your lifestyle, how much coffee you drink, if you smoke, stuff like that. I personally do whitening touch-ups on my teeth every six months and that works for me. But always talk with your dental provider and they will guide you and help you decide what is best for your individual mouth.
Having said that one of the best ways to help teeth whitening last longer is to watch your day-to-day diet and lifestyle habits. So here are five things you can do right now to help make sure your smile stays bright for as long as possible.
- Number one, avoid smoking or using tobacco products because they will definitely discolor your teeth, especially within the first 24 hours of whitening your teeth. Since your teeth tend to be a bit more prone to stain immediately after whitening.
- Number two, try not to drink too much coffee or tea since these dark liquids will cause stained particles to coat your teeth. And if you do drink dark-colored liquids, try to use a straw if you can. Because then the drink has less contact time with your front teeth especially.
- Number three, be selective about eating certain types of foods like berries and tomato sauces since they also leave stains on your enamel. A good rule of thumb is anything that would stain a white t-shirt like pasta sauce can also stain your teeth.
- Number four, if you do indulge in any of these stain-causing foods or drinks be sure to rinse with water afterward to get rid of some of the dark particles before they settle into your teeth. And also like I said using a straw can help as well.
- Lastly, number five, see your dental hygienist routinely for professional cleanings. Not only will they make sure your teeth and gums are healthy enough for whitening, but dental cleanings essentially give you a blank slate and a clean canvas of teeth. So that you can focus on whitening your actual tooth enamel rather than wasting your time and money on whitening the plaque and tartar that’s on your teeth which totally will brush off.
You want to make sure you are whitening your actual teeth, not just the plaque that’s sitting on your teeth right?
If it’s been longer than six months since you’ve last seen your hygienist, or there’s visible tartar on your teeth, you need to get that out of the way before you try to whiten. Again, brushing away the build-up on your teeth is usually the only way you can ever technically brush off your whitening. It wouldn’t happen if your teeth are clean.
However, it is important to know that not all whitening products are used the same for instance. Even if you have perfectly clean teeth, some products want you to brush your teeth immediately before or after the treatment, while others do not. So always read the directions if it says to brush your teeth immediately after don’t worry about brushing your whitening product away. But if it does say to leave it on and don’t brush then leave it on and don’t brush. So the point is instructions are specific to the product that you have. So your whitening will last as long as possible. Make sure to read the label on the box.
I was told that whitening product lasts longer if you kept them in the refrigerator. However, Iโve seen on some labels on some random whitening product instructions that some recommend you do not store them in the refrigerator. If you’re a dental pro, let me know in the comments below if you’ve heard about this. The box Iโve been using does not say whether or not to store it into the cold. I personally still keep mine in the fridge because I feel it makes it last longer.
Hope this helped you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave comments below.
