Edison Dentist Recommends Foods for After Teeth Whitening

As Starbucks tests their new brunch menu, we’ve built a menu for you, too. It’s what to eat after your professional teeth whitening. What’s on the list? Anything that’s not red, blue, or dark at all. For the first 48 hours following your professional teeth whitening treatment, your tooth enamel will be more susceptible than ever to highly pigmented foods. So stay away from what caused your teeth to become dingy in the first place. That means for the first couple of days, no red wine, no pasta sauce, and certainly no after dinner coffee.

A Little Bit About Zoom! Whitening

Professional teeth whitening is a wonderful way to rejuvenate the appearance of dingy, dark teeth. It’s a natural side effect of age, as constant exposure to dark foods and beverages takes a toll on the shade of your smile. But with Zoom! Whitening, teeth are brightened by up to eight shades after just one, one hour treatment.

Zoom! Whitening works using a powerful whitening gel activated under a special UV light. After covering your gums, lips, and tongue with a protective shield, your dentist carefully applies the bleach to each tooth. The solution is activated under the light in 15 minute intervals. After just three applications of the light, the treatment is complete, and your results are nothing short of fantastic.

Maintaining Your Teeth Whitening Results

Patients love in-office whitening for its efficiency, but please don’t forget that your tooth enamel will be especially susceptible to staining following whitening. How to maintain your new white results? In the first few days, skip the foods and beverages that caused your teeth to lose their sparkle in the first place. Keep in mind that if it’s something that could stain your clothes, it’s probably going to stain your teeth, too. Ripe, dark berries, soy sauce, coffee, red wine, dark beer, rare steak, black tea, and dark chocolate are all things to keep away from.

You may also experience sensitivity in the first few days after teeth whitening. Avoiding acidic, sweet, and hot or cold foods and beverages can protect your mouth from painful sensations. Sensitivity should subside within a few days. Brushing your teeth with an anti-sensitivity toothpaste can help your teeth recover.

Long-Term Maintenance

About three or four days after your teeth whitening treatment, you can resume your normal diet. It’s still a good idea, however, to stay away from the darkest foods and beverages. But if you just can’t give up your morning coffee or evening glass of wine, remember that rinsing your mouth out with water afterwards can go a long way in reducing discoloration. Eating crusty bread or crunchy vegetables alongside common stainers helps to naturally scrub away pigments, and a cube of cheese restores the pH balance in your mouth to ward off stains and discoloration.

Interested in Teeth Whitening?

If you have questions about teeth whitening in Edison, or if you’d like to schedule an appointment for any other cosmetic dentistry treatment, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Resnick & Rosenfeld DDS. Contact us today!