5 Foods to Avoid After Teeth Whitening Treatment

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After receiving a teeth whitening treatment, you’ll be tempted to walk around smiling at strangers, dazzling them with your bright smile. Teeth whitening treatments can have a dramatic effect, revitalizing yellowed teeth to a brilliant white. A beautiful white smile can take years off your appearance, allow you to smile with confidence in social situations, and make you look more awake and happy. After all, our teeth are a window to our health, and having a dazzling smile tells the world that we take our health and hygiene seriously.

What you don’t want to do following a teeth whitening treatment is sabotage your results by eating foods that will undo the great results you’ve achieved. These foods are found everywhere, seeming innocent enough as they’re served to us in a to-go cup, but they can undermine our efforts to retain a glowing white smile.

If you really want to maintain the results of your whitening treatment, you should know what foods to avoid, especially in the first 48 hours following your treatment. During this phase, your teeth are more sensitive to discolouration, which means you should take extra care to avoid foods that could stain them.

Foods That Will Stain your Teeth After a Whitening Treatment:

Coffee

Life just isn’t the same without our morning brew, our afternoon pick-me-up, or our evening espresso, but you’re better off avoiding coffee after a whitening treatment. Coffee is an acidic beverage, meaning it’s extra caustic to our tooth enamel. The dark colour of coffee doesn’t help; drinking coffee is essentially staining our teeth brown with every sip. Try drinking clear herbal tea after a teeth whitening treatment to replace the ritual of drinking coffee. It’s a good idea to take a break from caffeine now and again anyway, and your teeth will be spared coffee’s staining effects in the interim.

Red Wine

We weren’t joking when we said the best foods are the ones that can cause the most stains. You’ve likely experienced the staining power of red wine on your teeth before; after drinking a hearty Cabernet, your smile may have taken on a garnet hue. Drinking red wine might be a fantastic way to unwind (and contains cardiovascular and longevity benefits), but it is also one of the most staining beverages out there. Avoid alcohol altogether following a teeth whitening treatment. Alcohol attacks your tooth enamel with its acidity, and even white wine can leave a noticeable residue.

Soda

Soda, the nemesis of every dentist out there. It’s no wonder; the acidity from carbonation, its sugar content, and amber colouring make it a nightmare for newly whitened teeth. If you really crave soda, opt for club soda and drink it with a straw.

Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce stains everything; your clothes, your tablecloths, a toddler’s face, and most definitely your teeth. While tomato sauce is a very healthy choice in most respects, it’s not the best choice for your teeth post-whitening. The acidity of tomatoes and their vibrant red colouring leave their mark on whitened teeth. Don’t undo the hard work of your dentist with spaghetti and marinara. A white cream sauce is a better choice to maintain your treatment’s results.

Blueberries

Blueberries: healthy, delicious, and full of antioxidants. However, they also stain the daylights out of everything they come into contact with.

Your whitened teeth are like a blank canvas, and eating blueberries will muddy them up immediately. Blueberries carry plant pigments and are an acidic fruit, which makes them dangerous for newly whitened teeth. Enjoy blueberries a week or so after you undergo a teeth whitening. Until then, apples are the safer fruit choice.

Now, what to eat? Base your diet around these foods to keep your whitened teeth looking their best:

  • Rice
  • Yogurt
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Porridge
  • Bananas
  • Coconut
  • Bread
  • Sushi
  • Deli meats
  • Rice pudding
  • Milk
  • Vanilla-based ice creams

After a few days, you can begin to re-introduce staining foods back into your diet. Indulging in them immediately after treatment, however, will negate your time, effort and money spent getting that amazing white smile. Red wine can wait; your smile deserves it.

Dawson Dental offers trusted dental professionals across the GTA and Ontario. We have several clinics within the city of Toronto, making it easy to find services wherever you’re located. We are passionate about patient care, education, and maintaining relationships that support dental health for a lifetime.

To book your next appointment call Dawson Dental at 1-855-465-4752 or contact us here.