Before whitening procedure
1. Last brush at least 2-hrs
Brushing right before the whitening procedure is NOT recommended as it can cause the micropic 'pores' in the teeth enamel to become blocked with 'fillers' resulting in inferior results. On the day of the whitening Procedure the last brush should be at least 2 hours before.
2. Waited 14-days after Scaling&Polishing
Scaling & Polishing can cause gums to recede from the base of the teeth, and therefore can expose Patients to the risk of exposing the dentin root of a tooth. If teeth is whitened in this condition there is an unacceptable risk of acute hypersensitivity due to the whitening gel sliding down into 'a Pocket' between the tooth base and a detached gum therefore, it is recommended for patients to wait 14 days for gums to come back before your whitening procedure.
Post-procedure maintenance
It is important that you follow certain precautions to maintain your sparking new smile.
For 24 hrs after the treatment:
- Do NOT eat or drink dark, staining substances such as: coffee, tea, red wine, soy sauce and cola.
- Do NOT eat staining food such as: beetroot, carrots, blueberries,and the like; try to stick to 'white' diet such as Fish, Chicken, Cauliflower.
- Do NOT smoke cigarettes or use any tobacco-containing products.
- Do NOT use coloured toothpaste.
To maintain your white smile over the long term:
- Touch up treatments are suggested every 6 months. Ask your practitioner about single cycle touch-ups and schedule your next visit.
- Brush your teeth regularly with whitening toothpaste.
- Using whitening pen regularly
- Visit you dentist regularly
- Minimise consumption of coffee, tea and other staining foods and drinks
- Minimise cigarette smoking
White Smile Tips
Whiter Teeth do make you look younger. Therefore, here are a few simple tips you can use to whiten your smile and keep you younger looking, for longer
- Choose darker lipstick colours with blue undertones because blue helps make your teeth appear whiter. Avoid coral and orange lipsticks, these can make your teeth, appear yellowish.
- Blue tones in Shirts and Tops also helps to make your teeth look whiter, whereas wearing white clothing, can make your smile appear dull
- If you have any yellowish tones in your teeth Gold seems to exaggerate the yellowing. Therefore, try to avoid wearing gold near your face. Instead wearing white stones and silver jewellery can make your teeth appear whiter
Try a stain-avoiding eating and drinking plan:
“White foods+White drinks = Whiter Smile (for longer)”
(a) Dark foods such as Red meats, Beetroot, Carrots, Blueberries and the like can stain your teeth
(b) Drinks such as coffee, tea, cola, artificially coloured drinks, red wine, cranberry juice, grape juice can stain your teeth. Instead drink... water, grapefruit juice, ginger ale, chamomile tea.
(c) Also watch out for soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce. Instead try white wine vinegar, olive oil
If you do have staining foods or drinks, brush your teeth as soon as possible
- Very Hot drinks can rapidly change the temperature of your teeth. This may cause the microscopic pores in your teeth to expand, allowing stains to more quickly penetrate your teeth. Try drinking hot drinks through a straw. (In countries where cosmetically whitened teeth are becoming the norm, some cafes and restaurants provide heat resistant straws with coffees)
- Acidic foods such as Sugar, citrus etc can also open up the pores of the tooth enamel, allowing stains to more easily move into your teeth
- Smoking is one of the biggest offenders in ruining white smiles
- Watch out for some tongue piercing, it can lead to Metallic Staining making your teeth appear grey. Apart from teeth looking less than sexy, this type of staining is sometimes almost impossible to remove
- Brushing your teeth twice a day for at least two-minutes, and floss once a day at least.
- Bleaching hair can make your smile appear dull.
- Use an electric toothbrush, it can do a better job.
Once you have your whitest smile, you want to keep it that way, so schedule a regular dental check-up and cleaning every 6 months. In addition, to keep your teeth their whitest we recommend at least 1 x 20-minute "Refresh" teeth whitening cycle each year.
