You have just completed your professional teeth whitening treatment at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic and yet you may be wondering just what foods and drinks you should avoid in order to keep your newly whitened teeth whiter for longer? Tooth discolouration comes from staining so food and drinks darker in colour, and indeed colouring additive or natural pigment – are responsible for that.
After professional teeth whitening, your natural teeth are more porous so more vulnerable to a new wave of tooth discolouration and staining, setting in. The first three days leading into the first two weeks post-treatment is the time when you need to be the most vigilant regarding the discolouration and/or staining risk posed by some foods and drinks you would ordinarily consume.
Our top five food and top five drinks to avoid after teeth whitening
The Foods
Sweets and chocolate
Brightly coloured candies and chocolate can stick to your teeth creating stains even when you try to brush them away.
Dark fruits – berries
Blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and pomegranate seeds are naturally full of dark pigment and fruit acids plus an abundance of dark juices – all detrimental to keeping your newly whitened teeth white.
Beetroot
The colour of this vegetable just gets everywhere, just ask your clothes basket. And just like with stains on clothes, stains on teeth from beetroot require effort to remove.
Pasta sauces
Tomato or pesto sauce is sticky and can be sweet. Coating your pasta in these sauces just after teeth whitening means tooth staining could happen in an instant.
The use of dark condiments
Soy sauce, balsamic vinegar – just two examples of liquids which are dark in colour and full of acidity so refrain from consuming these on your food, post-treatment.
The Drinks
Coffee
Coffee (and tea) contain tannins which is an acid which discolours teeth over time. Especially avoid black coffee.
Tea
Tea (just like coffee) contains tannins and again especially avoid black tea.
Red Wine
This popular alcoholic drink contains natural pigments from the grapes combined with the acidity of it can cause instant tooth staining once consumed. As it is so popular you may not realise the quantity you are drinking so the staining happens quicker.
Carbonated (fizzy drinks)
Cola drinks particularly with the dark colouring and added sugar and the high acidity break down the enamel and start to erode it, exposing the dentin (naturally yellow in colour) underneath.
Dark coloured smoothies, protein shakes or fruit juices
Smoothies made from dark berries or protein shakes made from chocolate are a not ideal nutrition when wanting to retain white teeth. Smoothies leave a residue on the teeth which can lead to tooth staining. Fruit juices are full of acid, and just like red wine, can be a popular beverage so it is easy to forget how much you have consumed.
If you really cannot omit these drinks from your diet, try drinking them through a straw and in small quantities so you can try to minimise contact with your teeth and the risk of teeth staining.
Foods and drinks you can have instead
Try a ‘white foods diet’ choosing yogurt, milk, cottage cheese, water, cauliflower, celery, turkey, fish, rice, white flour goods such as white bread, toast, semolina, and pasta for the first few days of nutrition post-treatment.
Professional teeth whitening at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic
Professional teeth whitening treatments performed by a dentist in clinic or conducted at home under a dentist’s supervision, can brighten teeth by between two to three shades with the bleaching effect lasting between three to five years. Offer yourself the chance to experience this notable increase to your self-confidence and the ability to exude vitality for this length of time by following the simple advice outlined.
Your beautiful smile will forever be grateful that you did.
