Foods to Avoid When You’re Whitening Your Teeth

If you’ve decided to get professional teeth whitening done, you probably want the results to last as long as possible. Part of that includes avoiding staining foods, which can make you need teeth whitening again sooner.

To maximize the results of your teeth whitening, you should eat foods that have a beneficial effect on the whiteness of your teeth — and avoid or limit as much as possible the ones that tend to be staining. Dr. Thomas D. Sokoly of Sokoly Dental explains more about what you need to know to keep your teeth their whitest.

Staining foods to avoid

We know that certain foods and beverages are more likely than others to stain your teeth. This doesn’t mean you have to completely eliminate them from your diet, but you should remember to brush your teeth as soon as possible after consuming them.

Some of these staining foods and beverages include:

• Dark juices, such as grape and cranberry
• Coffee
• Tea
• Red wine
• Soy sauce
• Berries, especially blueberries
• Soda (even sparkling water contains citric acid that damages your teeth)

Some of these foods are hard to eliminate from your diet. If you must have coffee or tea, for example, try drinking it with a straw to minimize the staining effects on your teeth.

Blueberries are one of the healthiest foods you can consume, so we’d never recommend completely eliminating them from your diet. Just make sure to follow up with brushing your teeth or drinking water.

Good foods to eat as often as possible

As is true with foods and drinks that stain your teeth, certain foods also have a beneficial effect on making your teeth whiter. You may want to include more of them in your diet, which include:

• Apples
• Pears
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Cauliflower
• Sugarless gum
• Dairy products

Often, it’s just a subtle shift of your diet to include more of the good foods to help your teeth stay white.

How long professional teeth whitening lasts

Although professional teeth whitening does a great job for many people, it’s unfortunately not permanent. Most people need to get their teeth whitened again after about 12-18 months.

Teeth whitening isn’t a suitable solution for those whose teeth are stained from prior antibiotic use (particularly tetracycline), from fluorosis, or whose dentin (the material inside the teeth) is naturally darker.

If you’re interested in getting whiter teeth without teeth whitening, you have the option of getting veneers. Although the procedure is more expensive than teeth whitening and is considered a permanent option, we can give you the smile of your dreams, no matter the color of your natural teeth.

If you’d like to ask more questions about teeth whitening or veneers, Dr. Thomas D. Sokoly would be happy to answer them. Contact the friendly office staff today or schedule an appointment online any time.