Foods to Avoid Immediately After Teeth Whitening

Many people are eager to find innovative ways to whiten their teeth. Sure, there are offerings at your local pharmacy or grocery store, like whitening strips or even a paint-on whitening solution. However, these are highly expensive for how moderately effective they are. Ignore homemade solutions with baking soda and vinegar, which can remove small surface stains but at the sacrifice of harming your teeth’s enamel.

The best way to whiten your teeth is to seek the assistance of a professional. A general dentist in Houston, TX, can give you a powerful laser whitening treatment right in their office. It’s simple, pain-free, and effective. What more could you ask for?

Actually, you’d probably ask to keep the results as long as possible. Once you’ve left the general dentistry center, now it’s your job to protect your newly whitened, clean, and bright smile. The best way to do so is to avoid foods that harm your smile, especially in the days immediately following the whitening procedure. These are the foods that you should omit in order to protect and prolong the results of your whitening treatment.

Coffee and Tea

If you just can’t quit coffee or tea, at the very least try to go without caffeine in the couple of days following a whitening procedure. Not only do caffeinated beverages stain your teeth, they dry out your mouth, which invites more stain-causing bacteria in your mouth. Sugar, flavored creamers, and other additives will make your stains even worse.

Red Wine

Don’t expect a general dentist to allow you your regular glass of wine, either. Red wine is a major cause of stains. Just picture a glass of red wine staining your sofa, carpet, or shirt. Now just think of what it will do to your teeth. If you’ve just recently had a whitening treatment, drinking red wine will undo all the time, money, and effort you’ve spent on the procedure.

Acidic Fruit

Fruit can also cause premature stains on your teeth. The acids in citrus fruits like oranges and limes, for example, will eat away at the enamel of your teeth, which makes stains more likely. Avoid drinking lemonade, grapefruit juice, orange juice, or margaritas made with fresh lime juice in the days following your whitening treatment. In fact, keep consumption of these foods and beverages to a minimum in general.

Cold Foods

Whitening procedures are simple and pain-free, especially if you visit a particularly accommodating general dentistry center. However, some food sensitivity is common within the 2 to 3 days following your treatment. This is particularly true of cold foods. Avoid frozen desserts, iced or cold beverages, and other cold foods following your whitening treatment.

While the average general dentist would recommend you avoid most of the above foods in general, you should be especially wary of them following a whitening procedure. Once you see the amazing results of a whitening treatment from your general dentist in Houston, TX, you may be amazed by how many stains had discolored your smile. Many of the above foods and beverages may be to blame.