Getting whiter, brighter teeth is possible with the help of Opalescence at-home whitening, but what happens after your treatment is complete? Maintaining your beautiful new smile doesn’t happen magically. To prevent new stains from appearing on your teeth, in addition to regular brushing and flossing, you’ll need to eat a “white” diet, especially in the initial few days following your treatment.
Here’s a list of foods that you should temporarily avoid, and a few that are safe to indulge in immediately following your professional whitening!
Foods to Avoid Following Opalescence
Thankfully, the dietary restrictions following your professional whitening treatment are temporary, but still important. Experts recommend you avoid the following foods for at least two or three days to ensure that your teeth do not become discolored again while their pores are still open.
Dark Beverages
If you drink dark beverages such as tea, coffee, cola, juice, red wine, or sports drinks, it’s best to hold off on these for a few days after professional whitening. These can all deposit color in the vulnerable enamel if you don’t give it a chance to reharden, which typically takes a few days.
If you regularly consume these types of drinks, you may also want to consider cutting back or quitting them entirely, as these are some of the most common culprits when it comes to tooth stains that require treatment.
Dark Fruits and Vegetables
While there’s no denying that fruits and vegetables are excellent for you, some of them are built differently. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and carrots can all leave behind color on (and in) your teeth, so stick to options like apples, bananas, pears and cucumbers for the initial few days after your whitening treatment.
Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits get an honorable mention because though they may not deposit much color, they are highly acidic and make your freshly whitened teeth even more sensitive. Thus, delay eating or drinking anything with citrus or citric acid for at least a few days post-treatment, or until you’ve stopped experiencing any tooth sensitivity.
Artificial Colors
Any food with dye in it can not only stain your clothing, but it can also stain your teeth. If it’s got food coloring (think red velvet cake, hard candy, and rainbow cereals), hold off on enjoying it for a few days to reduce your risk of having an unnaturally colored smile!
Colorful Sauces
Sauce can take your meal from blah to beautiful, but many varieties can stain your teeth in the process. For the first few days post treatment, avoid things like tomato sauces, soy sauce, teriyaki, curry, or anything else that would leave color behind on a white shirt.
Good to Go
Now that you know which foods to temporarily avoid, here are a few that you can immediately enjoy without risk to your new smile:
- Protein such as like eggs, chicken, white fish, and pork
- Noodles without sauce
- White potatoes
- Cream of wheat or plain oatmeal
- Milk, cheese, or plain yogurt
- Water
Remember, your professional whitening treatment can remove up to eight shades of discoloration from your smile, but it can easily become stained again in the first few days after treatment. To avoid undoing your beautiful results, be sure to temporarily stick to a white diet so your teeth have a chance to recover.
About Our Practice
At Forever Young Dentistry of Sterling Heights, our team wants to see your beautiful smile! That’s why we offer a variety of cosmetic dentistry treatments either right here in house, or that you can take with you and complete anywhere, like Opalescence at-home whitening!
If your smile is looking darker than you’d like, and you’re interested in removing up to eight shades of discoloration in a fraction of the time of those OTC kits, schedule a consultation today to learn more about Opalescence. You can request an appointment online, or call us today at 586-315-4176.