How to Maximize Your Teeth Whitening Results

Teeth whitening is an investment, and naturally, you want to get as much out of it as you can. Good news: you don’t just need to sit back and see what happens. You can do plenty to keep your smile brighter for longer, saving time and money while boosting your confidence.

So, what are these life hacks for your smile? Read on to find out.

Follow Treatment Plan Guidelines

It’s simple: if you don’t use your whitening products as advised, they’ll under-deliver. These directions might come included with a product or directly from your dentist. But whether you choose a professional in-office whitening procedure, custom take-home trays, or an over-the-counter whitening strip, it’s super important to follow instructions to a T.

Following your treatment instructions will not only ensure your results are as described, but will also reduce your risk of developing any side effects like irritated gums and sensitive teeth.

Limit Food and Drinks That Stain

Despite being the hardest substance in the human body, tooth enamel is porous and is susceptible to stains from certain foods and drinks. The whitening agent in any treatment opens the pores in your teeth, making it easier to lift out stains. After your whitening session, it can take a few days for these pores to shrink down again. To maintain your results, you should always limit staining foods and drinks, but especially in the days after your treatment.

As you’ll see in the list below, many of the most tooth-staining foods are also full of antioxidants and nutrients, so you might not want to cut them out entirely. Just try to limit them and rinse your mouth with water (or brush your teeth) after consuming them.

• Coffee, Tea, Berries, and Red Wine: The stain culprits here are tannins and chromogens. Chromogens are colored particles that stick to your enamel, and tannins are naturally produced compounds that impart bitterness and color. Tannins bind with the carbohydrates and sugars on your teeth, which makes chromogens stickier, causing stains to adhere to your teeth.
• Tomato-Based Food and Drinks: Have you ever had a plastic container stained red after storing leftover tomato sauce? That’s lycopene, which gives tomatoes and other red and orange foods their color. It’s a powerful antioxidant, but it also stains your teeth. Lycopene repels water, so the stain associated with tomato-based foods won’t simply rinse away.
• Turmeric: A popular spice for curries that’s known for its many health benefits, turmeric is also notorious for staining everything, including teeth. It can also turn temporary crowns a mustard-yellow color.
• Beets: The pigments that give red beets their color are called betalains, made from the amino acid tyrosine. These are strong phytonutrients with many health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Unfortunately, betalains can also discolor your teeth.

Quit Smoking

Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical found in cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and tobaccoless products like vape juice. But it doesn’t just cause various health problems — it’s also responsible for tooth stains. Nicotine turns brown when exposed to oxygen, turning your teeth (and fingernails) yellow.

Cigarettes also contain tar, another tooth-staining culprit. Combined, nicotine and tar leave behind a sticky residue that adheres to your teeth and other surfaces, including the lining of your lungs. Quitting smoking helps keep your teeth white and also reduces your risk of developing periodontal disease, which can cause bone and tooth loss if left untreated. If you can’t quit on your own, talk to your dentist for ideas on how to kick the habit for good.

Get Regular Professional Cleanings

Most dentists recommend getting at least two professional cleanings and one oral exam each year. During these visits, your dentist will check for cavities, gum disease, and oral cancer while removing built-up stains, plaque, and tartar. Plaque is a sticky residue made of bacteria that produces the acids responsible for causing tooth decay. If left on your teeth, it will harden and form tartar, also called calculus. Unremoved tartar can cause gum inflammation (gingivitis), gum recession, and periodontal disease.

Once tartar forms, you can’t remove it by brushing and flossing. Tartar also attracts more plaque, creating a cycle of buildup and stain that becomes impossible to treat at home. Because it’s rough, tartar traps stains, but during a professional cleaning, your dentist or hygienist will remove tartar buildup and polish your teeth, creating a smooth surface. Stains have a hard time sticking to clean, polished teeth — until more plaque and tartar build-up.

Keeping up with your regular professional cleanings can help keep your teeth and gums healthy while also keeping your teeth bright between whitening sessions.

Schedule Cleaning Right Before a Whitening Session

A professional cleaning removes plaque and tartar more effectively than a toothbrush both at the gum line and between your teeth, helping the whitening gel penetrate your enamel more evenly.

Whether you’re interested in an in-office or at-home treatment, a professional cleaning beforehand can make sure your mouth is healthy enough for whitening. If your hygienist or dentist finds cavities or gum disease, they may recommend postponing your whitening session. They will also be able to evaluate the health of your enamel and check areas that are more prone to sensitivity.

Rinse After Meals

It might seem like a chore to run to the bathroom and rinse your mouth after eating, but this simple step can wash away certain bacteria and food particles that would otherwise stain your teeth. It will also rinse away acids left by your food and drink that could soften your enamel.

Chew Gum With Xylitol

Chewing a piece of gum after a meal increases saliva production, which helps neutralize the pH in your mouth, making it an unwelcome environment for decay-causing bacteria. The gum’s stickiness also helps remove food particles that can cause staining.

Gum that contains xylitol is especially beneficial. Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol that slows the growth of Streptococcus mutans, the main oral bacteria responsible for tooth decay. Studies suggest that xylitol can also help rebuild enamel. Once the xylitol has reduced acidity in the mouth, saliva’s calcium and phosphate can begin hardening the enamel’s weakened areas.

Eat Crunchy Fruits and Vegetables

Enjoying crunchy foods like apples, celery, and carrots has two benefits to keeping your teeth white. They make you chew more, increasing the production of saliva, which washes away staining food particles. Plus, fibrous, crunchy foods help physically scrub minor surface stains from your teeth.

Use Whitening Toothpaste and Rinses

You should brush and floss twice a day anyway, so why not use products that will help keep your teeth white? Whitening toothpaste comes in various concentrations and has options for regular and sensitive teeth. It may not remove deep stains, but it’s an inexpensive way to remove surface stains and keep your teeth bright between whitening sessions.

Some whitening toothpastes add mild abrasives to scrub away stains, and some add peroxide to help whiten. One important tip: don’t rinse your mouth with water after brushing since it washes away the toothpaste’s whitening additives and/or fluoride. This also applies to non-whitening toothpastes.

Whitening rinses have a low level of hydrogen peroxide or a similar whitening agent. Most also contain fluoride to help prevent decay, and some even include our old friend xylitol to help rebuild enamel.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’ve saved up for a professional whitening session or you’re using an at-home product like trays or strips, prolonging your results will save you time, money, and may also help prevent gum irritation and tooth sensitivity from over-bleaching.

Some of these tips may also help protect your overall oral health, like quitting smoking and seeing your dentist twice a year. With a few simple tweaks to your daily routine and by implementing a new habit or two, you can keep your pearly whites bright and your mouth healthy for years to come.