Should You Avoid Coffee And Red Wine After Teeth Whitening?

Posted on: 2 January 2020

The process of professional teeth whitening generally involves the use of a bleaching product. This product removes stains from teeth, then whitens them by bleaching them. When you leave your appointment, you'll have teeth that are many shades whiter than they were prior to the procedure; however, it will be up to you to keep them white. One question you might have is whether you should avoid drinking coffee, red wine, and other beverages known for staining teeth. Here are several things to know if you are wondering about maintaining a bright smile after visiting the cosmetic dentist.

The risks of drinking dark beverages

Some beverages tend to stain teeth a lot more than others, and coffee, tea, and certain types of wine all fall into this category. These beverages contain a lot of coloring that affects teeth a lot. Therefore, if you are going to drink these things, you will likely see discoloration of your teeth. If you do not want to waste the money you spent on whitening your teeth, you may either want to avoid these beverages or find ways to safely drink them.

Safely drink dark beverages

To safely drink beverages that are known for staining teeth, you will need to drink them in moderation first. If you want to drink wine or coffee, choose to drink it only once in a while instead of every day. Then, you might want to consider using a straw. While it might not look glamorous to sip your wine through a straw, using a straw will help the beverage make it past your teeth instead of exposing it directly to your teeth. Less exposure to your teeth will protect your whiteness.

Additionally, if you are a coffee drinker, consider adding some milk or cream to it first. This will lighten the color of the coffee and dilute it. It may still discolor your teeth, but the effects may not be as bad.

Additional steps to protect your white teeth

Getting your teeth retouched at a dental clinic every few months is always a good idea to keep them whiter, and you may also want to consider using at-home kits from time to time. Finally, you may want to take extra time when brushing and flossing each day, just to make sure you are doing a thorough job.

Teeth whitening is a great service if you want teeth that are bright white, but your teeth will not stay this white without a little bit of work. To learn more, talk to a cosmetic dentist. 

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Providing Children With Dental Knowledge

When my three children were young, they were all excited to go to the dentist. The dentist's office was great fun with a large fish tank and a variety of puzzle toys in the waiting room. I liked the pediatric dental office so much that I jumped at the chance when I was offered a receptionist job. Many of the children who came to see the dentist were not nearly as happy as my children. Most kids were scared and anxious, and I learned fairly quickly that the children were worried because they had no idea what to expect. The dentist at the office provided me with a set of dental tools that I could show to the children. I explained how each of the devices worked. This eased the fears, and I started this blog so parents could share dental information with their children before dental visits.