What Can I Eat After Teeth Whitening?
More than 38 million people in the U.S. alone turned to teeth whitening treatments last year. Teeth whitening can dramatically whiten and brighten your teeth up to seven shades in just under an hour. Besides enhancing your smile, these treatments can help kill bacteria and reduce your risk of gum disease or tooth decay.
And while teeth whitening is easy and effective, maintaining your results takes work. Dr. Valerie M. Preston and our team at VP Dental are here to bring you the latest in general and cosmetic dentistry. That’s why we’ve compiled this helpful guide on the foods you should eat, so you can keep your pearly whites.
What to eat right after your whitening
For the first 48 hours immediately following your whitening treatment, you’ll want to stay on an all-white food diet. This means you should avoid any foods that are dark in shade. To be safe, you’ll want to stick to the following list of foods:
- • Chicken
- • Turkey
- • Whitefish
- • Rice
- • Pasta
- • White cheese
- • Onion
- • Egg whites
- • Potatoes
- • White bread
- • Bananas
- • Yogurt
- • Oatmeal
You’ll want to avoid any sugar and acidic food and drink as well. So, for these two days cut out coffee, wine, tea, and cola. You’ll also want to avoid dark fruits like blackberries.
Food and drink to limit
After your first 48 hours on the white food diet, you can resume your usual diet. Still, to maintain and prolong the results of your whitening treatment, you still want to minimize or eliminate the following foods from your diet:
- • Dark chocolate
- • Soy sauce
- • Dark marinades
- • Dark soups
- • Red, tomato-based sauces
- • Curry
- • Popsicles
- • Candy
- • Balsamic vinegar
- • Beets
- • Citrus fruit
- • Dark berries
As you can see, some of these staining fruits and vegetables are actually quite healthy, loaded with antioxidants, and can have many positive benefits for your overall health. So, it’s best to eliminate more of the unhealthy food and drink, especially those that are artificially colored and high in sugar.
Some teeth-staining drinks to avoid include:
- • Coffee
- • Tea
- • Soda
- • Wine
- • Sports drinks
- • Energy drinks
- • Fruit juice
- • Slushies
If you do consume these foods and drinks, it does help to thoroughly rinse your teeth right after. Additionally, habits like smoking or chewing tobacco can also stain your teeth, so it’s best to quit smoking if you want to maintain whiter teeth.
To learn more about teeth whitening treatments, contact us today, and schedule an appointment.
