Understanding Root Canal Procedures

How To Keep Your Teeth Naturally White

16 June 2017

Diane Mason

Professional tooth whitening treatments are great for your smile and your self-confidence, but it's up to you to keep your teeth healthy and white in between whitening treatments. If you're not sure how to do that, here are three tips for keeping your teeth naturally white.

1. Avoid consuming staining foods and beverages

Your teeth can handle brightly colored foods and beverages in moderate amounts, but over time those bright colors can build up and turn into stains on your teeth. In addition, there are some foods that can discolor your teeth because they have a stain-producing element, such as tannin. Here are some things to avoid if you want to keep your teeth white as long as possible:

• Tea and coffee
• Sodas
• Berries
• Brightly colored fruits (such as tomatoes and tomato products)
• Wine
• Grape juice

Of course, if some of these are your favorite things to eat and drink, you won't want to avoid them entirely. Don't worry, having a little every now and then is unlikely to cause staining quickly. You can also use a straw to bypass your teeth altogether if you want to avoid the staining effect and aren't willing to give these foods up.

2. Use a toothpaste with whitening ingredients

Whether you go with a conventional toothpaste that has chemical whitening products or a more natural version that uses baking soda and xylitol, it's a good idea to make sure you habitually use a tooth-whitening toothpaste. This is a great way to leverage habits that you already have and make them work double time.

3. Consider a home remedy for teeth whitening

There are many "natural remedies" for tooth whitening that you can try at home, but beware: many of them are not FDA approved and may have questionable long-term results. If you want to go down this road, it's a good idea to opt for the less-crazy end of the spectrum (such as using a baking soda treatment, which is unlikely to hurt your teeth, since baking soda has been used in tooth products for a long time). You may also wish to clear it with your dentist first to make sure that the treatment you choose is unlikely to interfere with the professional tooth whitening procedure (Go to http://silverstonefamilydental.com to learn more about teeth whitening services). And of course, you can also ask your dentist for tooth whitening kits to take home with you while you're at your next tooth whitening appointment.

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