Stained teeth are one of the most common dental problems in the world, so it makes sense that many want to figure out how to keep their teeth as white as possible. Fortunately, there are many ways to do that, and teeth whitening doesn’t have to be hard at all.
But where should you start? What methods are effective and which methods should you avoid? Keep reading and learn more about how to start whitening your teeth below.
1. Brush Your Teeth More Often
Teeth often become stained when people avoid brushing their teeth for long periods of time. If you don’t brush your teeth very often, then food and bacteria will start to build up on the surface of your teeth. Your oral bacteria will then start to eat the food particles in your mouth and produce acid as a byproduct.
This acid will eat away at your tooth enamel until it starts to become decayed. This will discolor your teeth and cause other problems as well. If you rarely brush your teeth, then you may start to suffer from tooth decay which will not only discolor your teeth but also weaken them and leave them more susceptible to cavities and infections.
So, if you want to make sure that your teeth stay white and in good shape, you should brush your teeth more often. Ideally, you should brush your teeth at least twice a day. Brushing your teeth after every meal is even better.
If you can’t brush your teeth right away, you can always swish your mouth out with water until you can get to your toothbrush. Doing this will ensure that food particles don’t sit and decay on the surface of your teeth.
2. Avoid Substances With Dark Pigments
Many people don’t realize that certain foods and drinks are more likely to stain their tooth enamel than others. For example, coffee is famous for turning tooth enamel yellow or even brown. This is because, even though coffee seems like a smooth drink, it is actually filled with tiny little coffee particles that stick to your teeth and stain them with a dark pigment.
Does this mean that you have to avoid coffee if you want to keep your teeth white? Not at all! However, you will have to take extra good care of your teeth whenever you drink coffee.
If you drink coffee, you should brush your teeth soon after finishing the drink. That way, you can remove any coffee particles from your teeth so they’ll never have the chance to stain your enamel. Another drink you should be careful with is red wine.
Red wine contains very dark and intense pigments that can easily stain your teeth if you’re not careful, much like coffee. As with coffee, you should aim to brush your teeth after drinking red wine, otherwise, you might soon find your teeth becoming yellow.
Rinsing your mouth with water is also a good way to get some of the pigment off your enamel.
3. Visit the Dentist
Visiting the dentist to get your teeth whitened is a sure way to make sure your teeth get whiter and stay white. Dentists usually use a gel made out of hydrogen peroxide to do the job. While whitening toothpaste contains hydrogen peroxide, it usually only contains very small concentrations.
For that reason, such toothpaste won’t really do a lot to whiten your teeth, although it may help a little. If your teeth are very discolored, it is a good idea to go to the dentist. Hydrogen peroxide paste dentists use is very concentrated, so it should whiten your enamel significantly and in a short period of time.
All the dentist needs to do is apply the gel to your teeth and let it sit for around 30 minutes to an hour. Sometimes, the dentist may shine a special light onto the gel to activate it. Whatever the case, the gel will eat away at the discolored tooth enamel and remove it.
Once the dentist removes the gel from your teeth, your teeth should be noticeably whiter than before. As long as you keep your teeth clean, they should stay white for several years.
4. Try DIY Teeth Whitening Methods
While some DIY methods can help whiten your teeth, some of them can be dangerous if you’re not careful. For example, brushing your teeth with baking soda is a popular DIY method. This method will remove the surface stains from your teeth due to how abrasive baking soda is.
However, if you do this method too often, you could end up damaging your teeth by removing too much of your tooth enamel. This will render your teeth very sensitive, especially to hot or cold temperatures. Another method is to buy whitening strips from the store.
This is a relatively safe method but it will only do so much for your teeth. If you really want to see a big improvement, you’ll have to go to the dentist to get your teeth whitened instead.
What You Need To Know About Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening is not very complicated and there are many ways in which you can do it.
Brushing your teeth is very important as it will remove any food particles that may stick to your teeth and discolor the enamel. Getting your teeth professionally whitened and cleaned by a dentist is your best bet and it will produce the most noticeable results.
This is due to the very concentrated hydrogen peroxide paste that dentists usually use to whiten a person’s tooth enamel. To learn more about our dental services, don’t hesitate to contact us here.