If you’ve just gone through a treatment for teeth whitening in Newton, you’re probably going to be thinking about how you can keep your new pearly whites sparkling. There are a number of foods that can cause staining or discomfort after a treatment. Intensely colored foods and beverages contain chromogens. Chromogens are pigmented molecules that easily affect tooth enamel. A food’s acidity can also promote staining and erosion. Keep reading to learn about a few different foods and beverages that you should stay away from following teeth whitening.
Staining Foods
In order to avoid staining, you should not eat dark chocolate or blueberries, soy sauce, and other foods that are darkly colored. Rich tomato sauces, curries, and dark stews can also affect the color of teeth. It is best to wait several days before eating darkly colored foods so the open pores in your teeth can close.
Dark Beverages
Beverages such as coffee, red wine, cola, and tea can stain freshly whitened teeth, as can dark colored juices such as tomato or grape juice. Clear or white liquids such as water or milk are okay to drink following a teeth whitening procedure. In order to maintain your whitened teeth, it is recommended that you drink dark liquids through a straw to minimize staining.
Acidic and Cold Foods
After a teeth whitening treatment, you may experience some sensitivity to acidic and colder foods such as citrus or ice cream. Eating these types of foods can lead to some discomfort. Because of the low pH in foods such as limes and vinegar, these foods can increase the acidity of your saliva. This in turn can damage some areas of the teeth that have been weekend due to the chemicals used in the teeth whitening process. Your teeth may remain sensitive to cold foods and beverages for some time following the treatment.