Foods After Teeth Whitening <Everything About Professional Teeth Whitening at the Dentist>

Hello.

At The Square Dental Clinic, we pursue

high-quality treatments

that harmonize aesthetics and function.

Everyone probably wants to have bright, sparkling white teeth.

That is why many people purchase self-whitening products sold on the market and use them for home care.

Of course, commercially available products do have a teeth-brightening effect.

However... people often feel disappointed because they do not produce “the results I expected.”

In such cases, considering professional whitening performed at a dental clinic may also be a good option.

In today’s column, we will discuss the following three topics:

1. The limitations of self-whitening

2. How professional teeth whitening at the dentist works

3. Foods to eat after teeth whitening and how to care for your teeth

Let’s talk about these three topics. :)

Why does “self-whitening” have limitations?

As described above, commercially available whitening products do have a definite effect.

This is because these products also use “hydrogen peroxide,” the key ingredient in whitening, as their primary component.

• Key point: According to a clinical study published in an international academic journal in the field of dentistry, commercially available self-whitening products were found to carry a risk of causing side effects such as tooth sensitivity, gum irritation, and damage to the tooth surface when used indiscriminately by the general public.

• Source: J Dent. 2024 Jun:145:104989. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2024.104989. Epub 2024 Apr 4.

However, because commercially available products can cause side effects such as allergies or inflammation if used incorrectly by nonprofessionals, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is set considerably lower than that of professional products.

As a result, self-whitening takes a long time and generally brightens the teeth by only about one or two shades.

Moreover, the true limitation of self-whitening is not so much the hydrogen peroxide concentration itself,

but rather that the <essential pretreatment process is omitted>.

I will explain this in more detail below.

How does professional teeth whitening at the dentist work?

Continuing from the explanation above, while self-whitening may brighten the teeth by about one or two shades,

professional teeth whitening at a dental clinic may achieve an improvement of approximately six to eight shades.

The reason dental whitening can produce such a strong effect is that it uses “high-concentration hydrogen peroxide” together with “isolation and pretreatment techniques.”

No matter how effective the product is, its effect will inevitably be reduced if the conditions are not properly prepared.

To help you understand, I will briefly explain our dental whitening process.

| ① Tooth-surface cleaning |

We thoroughly remove plaque and stains from the tooth surfaces through “tooth-surface cleaning” so that the whitening agent can penetrate effectively and deeply.

| ② Drying the tooth surfaces |

Simply drying the teeth thoroughly can make them appear one or two shades brighter,

and it also increases the penetration of hydrogen peroxide.

| ③ Isolation and application of the whitening agent |

We install a type of dam to prevent the high-concentration agent from coming into contact with delicate tissues such as the gums and lips,

and apply the agent over three cycles at approximately 20-minute intervals.

In practical terms, this is a specialized area of dentistry that cannot be replicated through self-whitening.

In other words,

• safety must be sufficiently secured,

• skilled medical professionals must ensure that the whitening agent performs to its full potential, and

• all conditions must be properly prepared

before satisfactory results can be achieved.

What foods should you eat after teeth whitening, and how should you care for your teeth?

If you undergo professional teeth whitening at a dental clinic according to the standard procedure,

its effects usually last approximately four to six months.

Whether this period becomes shorter or is extended depends on factors such as the foods you eat and how you care for your teeth after whitening.

In fact, after whitening, we once ate curry and drank wine on the same day and found that the effect lasted only one month. (^^;)

Immediately after whitening, the tooth surface becomes very vulnerable because the breakdown of internal discoloration factors leaves microscopic pores open,

causing it to absorb external pigments like a sponge.

Therefore, when eating after teeth whitening, we recommend avoiding foods and drinks that may cause staining whenever possible,

such as curry, wine, coffee, kimchi stew, and black-bean-sauce noodles.

In addition, to maintain your whiter teeth for longer, it may be helpful not only to manage your food intake after whitening,

but also to use supplementary whitening products or whitening toothpaste that officially contain hydrogen peroxide.

[Recommended related reading]

This article covered information about teeth whitening for those who have been concerned about yellowish teeth.

Let me summarize the key points from today’s article.

1️⃣ Self-whitening may have limited effects because of limitations in the product itself and the absence of essential pretreatment.
2️⃣ You should visit a dental clinic with the expertise to handle high-concentration agents safely and maximize their effects.
3️⃣ To maintain the results longer, avoid foods that stain easily after teeth whitening and use whitening toothpaste or similar products.

If there is anything else you would like to ask us, you can leave a comment or send us a question through Naver TalkTalk. ^^

Beyond creating a beautiful first impression,

we focus on helping our patients

restore their quality of life

and confidence.

This was The Square Dental Clinic.

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| This article was written in compliance with the Medical Service Act (Article 56, Paragraph 1) so that you can obtain accurate information. Rather than simple promotion, we wanted to transparently share what takes place in an actual treatment room. Instead of contacting us immediately after reading this article, simply taking away accurate information is more than enough. |