Root Canal — The Road to Pain Relief
Each year in the United States, about 15 million root canal procedures are performed, helping millions to find much-needed relief from pain and, perhaps more importantly, help them hold onto their teeth.
Here’s How You Can Make Your Teeth Whitening Last Longer
Nothing can brighten your smile more quickly than our professional teeth whitening services and you want to get the most out of your great results. To help keep your smile sparkling, there are a few steps you can take when you get back home.
At Peninsula Dental Excellence, our team of dental health experts, under the direction of Drs. Jeff Yoshihara and Colin Au, wants all of our patients to smile with confidence. While we can do our part here, there’s much you can do on your own, especially after your professional teeth whitening. Here’s a look.
Maintain a great daily regimen, and then some
There are many advantages to maintaining a great daily dental regimen, such as warding off tooth decay and gum disease, but keeping your teeth white and bright is also a great outcome. At a minimum, you should:
- Brush twice a day
- Floss once a day
- Rinse after meals
To keep your teeth white, we recommend that you use a toothpaste with a whitening agent, but make sure the product doesn’t skimp on fluoride, which helps keep your enamel strong. If you’re having any problems with sensitivity, you should also use a toothpaste that addresses this issue.
If you want to go the extra distance, instead of rinsing after meals, you can brush your teeth so that you stay one step ahead of plaque and tartar.
Avoid staining
Think of your teeth as you would your favorite white shirt, which means avoiding foods and drinks that can lead to staining. Some of the more common culprits in this regard are:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Berries
- Soy sauce
- Pasta sauce
- Artificially colored candies or sodas
If you really need that cup of jo in the morning, you can try drinking it through a straw so that the liquid bypasses your teeth altogether. As well, you can rinse your mouth with water immediately after eating or drinking any of the items on this list.
Quit smoking
If you smoke, nicotine stains can undo your teeth whitening very quickly. There are many reasons why you should quit smoking and we’re going to add keeping your teeth white to the list.
Keep up with your cleanings
Another great way to maintain your whitening results is to keep up with your twice-annual professional cleanings with us here. No matter how diligent you are at home about brushing, flossing, and rinsing, you can still benefit from a professional cleaning that gets to hard-to-reach places and tackles stubborn stains.
If, despite your best efforts, your teeth begin to lose their sheen after your teeth whitening, you can also return to us for a quick touch-up.
If you have any questions about maintaining your teeth whitening results, please don’t hesitate to contact our office in Mountain View, California.
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