So you’ve made the decision to whiten your teeth. You’ve payed the money, you’ve seen your new, beautiful smile in the mirror and you now feel more confident than ever.
But how do you keep your teeth white?
Living in a city like New York, there are plenty of things that can ruin that new, white smile. If you need a quick fix, EmergencyDentistsUSA in NYC can help. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to ensure that fresh smile stays with you.
Avoid Foods that Stain
This may seem like a no-brainer, but even if you brush your teeth after eating foods or drinking liquids that stain your teeth, there is still a good chance that new smile won’t last as long as it could.
Coffee, tea and red wine are the typical culprits of teeth stains. Your tooth enamel has microscopic pits and ridges that trap small particles of food and drink. Pigments from these dark-colored drinks become embedded in these crevices and, over time, stain teeth. Even dark foods such as strawberries or candies with food dye in them can cause stains over time. Cigarettes and cigars can as well.
If you choose to drink dark-colored beverages, consider using a straw.
Brush and Floss Regularly
Brushing and flossing properly and regularly are the key to not only general overall oral health, but to keeping your teeth white as well.
When brushing, you use should use a whitening toothpaste that contains fluoride. Whitening toothpaste has mild abrasives, like silicone, that act as scrubbers to get in the cracks and crevices in your tooth enamel. This will not remove older stains, but it will help prevent new stains from forming and ruining your freshly whitened smile. Fluoride strengthens teeth by reversing early decay and killing harmful bacteria.
Flossing regularly will get rid of food particles left behind that can stain the sides of your teeth or even cause cavities and gum disease. Flavored flosses will make the experience more enjoyable.
Touch-Up Treatments
Even if you make sure to take extra-special care of your whitened teeth, sometimes it is not enough. Visiting your dentist for regular cleanings and checkups will help keep your teeth whiter for a longer time.
Your dentist and dental hygienist can polish away stains that you may miss or may not be able to reach well enough. They have the proper tools and techniques that just are not available to the everyday person, and the visits will keep your smile in tip-top shape.
You can also get small whitening touch ups on a regular basis. Every six months or so, you can get “spot whitened” to get rid of any stains that may have formed. Some dentists will even give you a tray molded to your mouth so you can give yourself treatments at home.
If you’re going to get your teeth whitened, you want them to stay white for a long time. Just by doing a few simple things, you can make your bright smile last.
GUEST BLOGGER: Carl Buchanan is at dental school and enjoys writing about dental topics for the general public when he gets a free moment. Look out for his writing on various health and lifestyle sites.