If you could spend just one hour a day significantly improving the way you look for months — even a year or more — would you do it? For most people, the answer is a resounding yes — and that’s a big reason why professional teeth whitening treatments are so popular. With professional teeth whitening at Forest Hills Orthodontic Associates, all it takes is about an hour to erase years of stains and discoloration, helping your teeth and your smile look healthier, more attractive, and even younger.
The results you get with a professional whitening treatment are far superior to any you’d get with an over-the-counter bleaching product from your drugstore. That’s because the team at Forest Hills uses professional-strength whitening agents and special application techniques for results that are whiter, brighter, and more consistent — and best of all, professional whitening takes just an hour compared to the weeks needed to get results from a drugstore kit.
Of course, once you see how great your teeth and smile look following a professional whitening, you’re going to want to do all you can to maintain those results. The great thing is, it doesn’t take much more than a little common sense to make sure your results last as long as possible — typically a year or longer.
Preparation is important
Once you decide to have your teeth whitened, you’ll be pretty eager to see the results. But to get the best possible results, you need to take one important step first: Schedule a dental cleaning. In order to whiten your teeth, the whitening agents need to penetrate the tooth surface, reaching the deeper stains and lifting them away. If you’ve got plaque and hard tartar on your teeth, like in hard-to-reach areas between your teeth or along the gums, the whitening agent won’t be able to soak in as effectively. And that means you can get results that are inconsistent. Having your teeth cleaned first ensures they’re ready for whitening.
Watch out for foods that stain
Of course, there are no official food restrictions following a tooth whitening treatment. You can still eat whatever you like. But to help prevent future stains and keep your teeth looking great, you should be aware of the foods and drinks that are more likely to cause stains. Mainly, it’s foods and beverages with deep or dark pigments (colors), like coffee, red wine, tea, and anything with artificial or natural colors added in. Some foods, like orange juice, citrus fruits, and tomato sauce have high levels of acids, and they can soften your enamel for a little while after you eat them, which means it’ll be easier for staining pigments to penetrate your teeth. Does that mean you need to change your diet to cut out these foods and drinks? Not at all. What you should do, though, is rinse as soon as you can afterward. Rinsing removes pigments (and excess acids) to help keep those stains from sinking in and causing discoloration. Rinse, don’t brush, since brushing too soon after eating can actually scratch the enamel layer that protects your teeth from damage.
Give up tobacco
Whether you smoke it or chew it, tobacco is going to stain your teeth — in fact, it’s going to turn them yellow or brown. And of course, giving up tobacco has lots of other health benefits — like reducing risks of gum disease, tooth loss, and cardiovascular disease. If you haven’t quit yet, let your beautiful, healthy-looking smile be your motivation.
Practice good oral hygiene
Foods, drinks, and tobacco might be the most common causes of most tooth stains (along with aging), but a surprising amount of dinginess is due to improper brushing and flossing habits. Brushing twice a day with a soft-bristled brush can remove superficial stains on a daily basis, while daily flossing gets rid of ugly plaque between teeth. Using a whitening toothpaste can help, too. And of course, it’s just as important to keep those regular cleaning appointments at our office. During your cleaning, the hygienist will use special techniques to get rid of stubborn plaque and tartar deposits, along with buffing and polishing so your smile looks great.
Don’t let a dingy smile make you feel less confident or less attractive. At Forest Hills Orthodontic Associates, our professional whitening treatments can get rid of years of stains, revealing a more beautiful smile you’ll be proud to flash. To find out more about the whitening treatments we offer, book an appointment online today.
Promo: A professional whitening treatment can literally transform the way your smile looks, and it can help you feel more confident, too. Here’s how to maintain those great results for as long as possible.