Is Whitening Right for You? (1 of 2)

Whitening

Dental whitening is not for everyone, but it probably is for you. 


Patients ask me about how they can receive dental whitening at my office before their wedding or after college where you want to look the absolute best for those close up photos and job interviews. Patients always ask me how do you keep your teeth so white? There are three factors in keeping those teeth white. 


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1. DIET!

The new fad with coffee and tea have been the bane of our existence. Although, we personally can't live without it but trying to clean coffee and tea stains at every recall appointment is a challenge. Stains on your plaque and calculus are removed very easily but stains in the nooks and cranny of your teeth can only be removed with whitening or fillings or crowns. For my Asian American patients the act of dipping soy sauce with your food can cause significant staining if not immediately cleaned or rinsed.

However, we all know caffeine is a drug and your not going to stop your coffee habits because I said so. For that reason I will give you an out. For my coffee lovers by using a straw for both your hot and cold coffee and not swishing your coffee you will avoid majority of the staining. 

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General rule of thumb if the food looks dark and you don't want it's color to get transferred into your mouth. If it can be ingested with a straw or swallowed without chewing, do that. If it cannot, it is important to rinse with water or milk after ingesting. Please don't rinse with anything acidic as that will only make it worse. 
If you don't care about a little black in your teeth and you are willing to pay for the treatment to have it removed on a monthly then be my guest to eat and drink as you please as most of these foods aren't harmful to you.

Foods to watch out for: soy sauce, coffee, black tea, Red wine, Blueberries black berries and pomegranate. 

2. Hygiene

Poor oral hygiene will cause excessive plaque and calculus build up which will be stained from everything you eat. It does not contain the protective layer like your enamel so it can pick up color very quickly. 

3. Caries

Infected teeth are usually darker in color and dead teeth from root canal or trauma wil tend to turn dark as well. You need to get them treated asap and many times it will require a crown or veneer to completely remove the look of the stain. Your fillings will also get stained with time and they have to be replaced to maintain a certain color. Whitening agents may not work no fillings the same way it works on teeth. 



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