You are here looking for the no BS answer to the question: How Often Should You Whiten Your Teeth?
Professional whitening is ideal for perfecting your smile and boosting your confidence.
In addition, teeth whitening eradicates years of stain and discoloration from the teeth.
Thanks to in-office-based teeth bleaching and home care, Teeth whitening solutions are more elementary and convenient than ever before.
There is no doubt these strategies are pleasing and can help you achieve a bright white smile.
Nonetheless, immoderate teeth whitening can put your teeth at risk for other issues, some of which are irreparable and can damage your teeth.
Therefore, it’s vital to understand how often should you whiten your teeth to ensure a healthy denture.
This post elucidates more on teeth whitening and answers all your teeth whitening questions.
How Often Should You Whiten Your Teeth?
Keep yourself away from whitening your teeth too often, as this can lead to hypersensitivity and make your teeth look pellucid.
Tooth bleaching makes your teeth sensitive and uncomfortable for individuals who already have sensitive teeth.
According to experts, you should go for a self or professional whitening of your teeth once a year. This protects your teeth from issues like hypersensitivity and to have a natural smile.
Using home kits to whiten your teeth can cause bleached or burned gum if done incorrectly.
Therefore, professional whitening is recommended over self/home whitening as the former lasts for a longer period (for a year). This will help you to get rid of the headache of whitening your teeth again and again.
The number of times you have to go for teeth whitening also depends on how you take care of your teeth. You should avoid discoloration and staining of your teeth.
People who smoke will be required to go for teeth whitening more often.
Moreover, teeth whitening is ideal for individuals with yellow discolorations and is less effective for brown teeth.
But again, it would be best to consult a dentist to make sure teeth whitening is a worthwhile practice.
So, to answer the query how often should you whiten your teeth; we recommend not more than once a year.
The best way to minimize the need of teeth whitening is to avoid beverages like coffee and coke as they will leave stains on your teeth. Instead, opt for water in place of dark liquids.
If you had such refreshments, quickly brush with whitening toothpaste to wash out the stains before they impact your teeth.
More importantly, it’s is always recommended to take the advice of your dentist on whitening-related aspects and how you should take care of your teeth.
Also read: How Much Does Teeth Whitening Cost?
What Are the Types of Teeth Whitening?
There are different types of methods of teeth whitening:
- Whitening Toothpaste: It helps you remove stains by brushing and rinsing them away and giving you white teeth.
- In-Office Bleaching: At first, a gel or protective layer is applied to safeguard your teeth, and then the bleaching of your teeth is done by applying suitable bleaching powder.
- Laser Whitening: This requires the application of whitening agents and their activation by using a laser.
- Home Whitening: In this process, you will be provided with a mouth tray in which you have to fill in the whitening gel and apply it to your teeth. Close contact between the gel and teeth will whiten your teeth in the desired way. Also, brushing and flossing before whitening session leads to better results. Inflamed or bleeding gums can be an adverse effect of excessive teeth whitening at home. Therefore, it’s paramount to contact your dentist if your reaction to the whitening ingredient is causing harm.
- OTC treatment: Over-the-counter includes sprays, strips, or gels and helps to remove stains from your teeth.
Why Do Teeth Get Discolored and Stained?
Several factors can cause staining and discoloration of your teeth. Natural aging, teeth injuries and cracking, smoking or consumption of any other tobacco-based products, drinking coffee or other beverages which leave stains may cause discoloration of your teeth.
Some illnesses and chemicals used in medications such as tetracycline may result in discoloration of teeth.
For long-term results, you can opt for the following:
- Keep yourself hydrated by drinking a lot of water. This keeps away the staining compounds from your enamel and helps you to have white teeth for a longer period.
- Rinse your mouth after you drink coffee or coke.
- Brushing your teeth regularly with whitening toothpaste helps you to maintain hygiene and white teeth.
- You can use home whitening remedies to keep yourself away from professional whitening.
Summary
How often you should whiten your teeth depends mainly on what your dentist suggests.
But it is recommended not to go for the whitening process more than once a year. The peroxide used in whitening your teeth will dehydrate your teeth and may cause hypersensitivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Benefits of Teeth Whitening?
Teeth whitening builds your confidence by helping you to get natural-looking teeth and a beautiful smile. This is a very easy, painless, and fast process to have a bright and white smile.
Why Are There White Spots On My Teeth?
You may notice white spots on your teeth after the whitening process. These were the already existing white spots which are now clearer because of whitening. It can also be due to poor calcium deposition. They vanish after some time.
At What Age Is It Safe To Whiten?
You should not allow your children to use whitening products of toothpaste before getting 12 years old. At this time, they will have all permanent teeth. It is advised to consult your dentist before you start using whitening products or treatments.
Can I Brush My Teeth After Whitening Trays?
There is no problem with brushing and flossing your teeth after using the whitening strips. This doesn’t impact the whitening result of your treatment. However, it would be best not to brush immediately after whitening trays. Instead, wait for a few hours to avoid irritation and discomfort.
