Do you feel like your teeth aren’t as white as they used to be? Teeth whitening from your dentist can remove stains and discoloration from years of use, leaving your teeth up to ten shades whiter. Since the work will be done by a dental professional, the results will be superior to those of any whitening product you can buy at the store without any risk of injury due to user error or low quality. Immediately after your teeth are whitened, your teeth will be temporarily vulnerable to staining, so here are some foods to avoid for a little while after the procedure.
Avoid the Acid
After teeth whitening, your enamel will be slightly weakened, so it’s best to avoid any acidic foods or beverages until your teeth have had a chance to remineralize. Fruits such as pineapples, tomatoes, or citrus like limes, lemons, oranges, or grapefruits have a high acid content. You should also skip processed meats, pickled foods, and sauces that contain vinegar or tomato. Acidic drinks include soda, sports drinks, and coffee.
Stop on Red
It goes great with a steak, but red wine is acidic and full of pigments. If you’ve ever had a glass of red and then looked in the mirror, you know that it is exceedingly excellent at turning your teeth purple. If you don’t like the idea of your teeth being stained with that color, skip the red wine for a while after your teeth whitening treatment.
Don’t Let Your White Dye
If a food item is a vibrant, festive color like bright red, blue, purple, or orange and it isn’t some sort of fruit, it is likely to be heavy in dyes. This includes candies, popsicles, and sports drinks. These dyes can get stuck in your enamel when it is in a weakened state after teeth whitening, so go easy on these sweets for a while.
Don’t Do the Dark
If a food can stain a white shirt, it should probably be avoided after teeth whitening. Beverages and sauces with darker colors have ruined many nice clothes over the years because they are heavy on pigments that can get stuck within textile fibers, and they can do the same thing in your enamel. You’ll want to dodge the dark-colored sauces like soy sauce, tomato sauce, mustard, and barbeque sauce along with dark beverages like coffee, tea, grape juice, and cola. If you can’t live without your favorite dark-colored beverage, use a straw and immediately rinse your mouth out afterward.
You didn’t get that whitening treatment just to have your teeth stained and discolored all over again. Avoiding these foods while practicing excellent oral hygiene will preserve the new shine of your beautiful smile.
About the Author
Dr. Dean Levy graduated magna cum laude with his DMD from the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. He has completed hundreds of hours of additional training and serves as a member of the American Dental Association, the Massachusetts Dental Society, and the Spear Education Study Club. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, emergency, and cosmetic dentistry such as teeth whitening. For more information on aftercare after teeth whitening, contact his office online or dial (617) 350-7474.