Never Take Your Healthy Teeth for Granted

Making your teeth whiter can significantly improve your appearance. However, you need to be devoted to teeth whitening for these treatments to be as effective as possible. 

If you're going to be having your teeth whitened, you should do all of the following six things to enjoy maximum benefit from teeth whitening:

Quit your bad habits

Teeth become stained largely because of bad habits. You need to change your habits or your teeth are likely to become stained again in the near future.

Some of the bad habits that cause stains on teeth include drinking tea, coffee, and red wine. Other habits like smoking cigarettes are also likely to cause or aggravate stains and detract from teeth whiteness. 

Regularly have your teeth whitened at the dentist

Going to only one whitening appointment is probably not going to be enough to permanently result in whiter teeth. You're going to want to have your teeth whitened down the road to reinforce the effects and prevent stains from developing again. 

Teeth whitening at the dentist office should show effects for at least a year. However, you should have whitening repeated down the road in a year or two for maximum effect. 

Maintain good oral hygiene practices

You need to maintain good oral hygiene practices, both for the appearance of your teeth and also for your dental health. Make sure you're brushing and flossing every day. 

Use a whitening toothpaste

It's a good idea to look for a whitening toothpaste to use if you're concerned about teeth whiteness. A whitening toothpaste should contain baking soda and peroxide. These substances will make the teeth appear whiter when they are applied to the teeth regularly. 

Take a look at your medications

You might be surprised to learn that numerous common medications are known for staining the teeth. For example, the tetracycline that's prescribed to treat various skin conditions like acne has a tendency to cause teeth to appear gray or yellow. 

A variety of additional drug types including allergy, blood pressure, and antipsychotic drugs could stain the teeth as a side effect. You may want to find alternate medications if you're prescribed any of these medicines and are concerned about your teeth whiteness. 

Have your teeth cleaned by the dentist every six months

Don't think that you can overlook routine cleanings just because you're having whitening treatments performed on your teeth. Routine cleanings at the dentist remain important both for your health and appearance. It's generally recommended to get your teeth cleaned by the dentist once every six months.