With the winter holidays so close, you may want to whiten your teeth. Treatment would let you show off bright pearly whites to people you trust – your friends, family, and peers! Still, if you follow that path, you’ll need to skip certain meals; some foods and drinks disrupt whitening results. Your North Bethesda dentist will even tell you about some specific examples. So, here are some foods to avoid after teeth whitening and ones you should have instead.
Foods to Avoid Post-Whitening
Once teeth look nice and bright, stains from certain foods can stand out more against enamel. Such items include the following:
Foods with Dyes
As you might’ve guessed, foods with dyes can easily stain teeth. Their features make it easy for enamel to go from white to yellow, brown, and other colors.
Many dye-heavy foods are rather well-known these days. Some pretty common ones are popsicles, colored candies, sports drinks, and gelatin. These foods have colorings that can stain bright teeth and ruin your looks in the process.
Dark Sauces
Similar to foods with dyes, dark sauces also tend to cause tooth stains. Having too many of them will quickly turn your smile from white to yellow (or worse).
Indeed, dark sauces are risky because of their color and their stickiness. They can easily cling to your teeth if you don’t diligently remove them. Given that fact, try to go easy on ketchup, soy sauce, mustard, and so on; try seasonings like salt or pepper instead.
Highly Acidic Foods
As it turns out, even acidic foods can lead to tooth stains and sensitivity. You shouldn’t have them right after the whitening process is done.
It comes down to how whitening can weaken your enamel. Because bleaching gel is often powerful, acidic foods may react to treated teeth and cause dark spots and aches. That reality points to how you should lay off citrus fruits, tomatoes, pickled foods, and processed meats for some time.
Which Foods to Have Instead
The good news is teeth whitening doesn’t restrict you from all tasty foods. So long as you’re careful, you can follow a diet that’s delicious and safe for your white smile. Just remember to include the following in your meals:
- Scrambled eggs
- Rice
- Bananas
- Coconut
- Bread
- Sushi
- Yogurt
You can reintroduce “staining” foods once your smile adjusts post-treatment. For more details on when that’ll happen, talk to your dental provider!
About the Practice
Aesthetic & Family Dentistry of North Bethesda is based in North Bethesda, MD. Led by Drs. Obholz, Kaur, and Jung, our practice provides each patient with the best possible dental care. That means we tailor our preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments to your unique mouth! Whether you need a healthier smile or a brighter one, our team is here to help you. For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (301)-658-7647.