Summer is a great time to schedule a teeth whitening session. You are going to be going on a lot of summer adventures, and you want to ensure that you are looking your best. After all, those summer memories will be captured in photographs that will last a lifetime, and you want to ensure that the smile that is captured in those photographs is a good one! Once you have your teeth whitened at the dental office (as this lasts longer than at-home whitening and simply offers better results overall), you will want to ensure that you follow a few post-whitening tips to ensure your teeth stay sparkling white as long as possible.

Use a Straw When Drinking

While it is best if you could avoid beverages like tea, coffee, wine, and soda that stain your teeth, if you feel that you cannot go without drinking these beverages, try to limit them and make sure to use a straw. By drinking through a straw, you will be ensuring that the beverage does not come in contact with the very front of the teeth as soon as it enters your mouth. If possible, try to use metal straws since they are better for the environment, are easier to carry with you (in the event straws aren't available somewhere), and are reusable.

Avoid Teeth-Staining Foods

There are a lot of foods out there that can easily stain your teeth. Any food that is tomato-based, berries, soy sauce, etc. can easily and quickly stain the teeth. The same is true with any food that is highly pigmented in color or acidic. These foods should be avoided or ate sparingly.

Maintain Proper Oral Hygiene

Although you just had your teeth professionally whitened, it does not mean that you can forgo your regular oral hygiene practices. It is still important—if not more so—to continue taking care of your teeth as you normally would. You need to continue brushing twice a day and flossing once a day. If you aren't already, you may want to add a whitening toothpaste to your regimen to help touch up your pearly whites in between your teeth whitening procedures.

Whether you need to schedule your teeth whitening session, would like to discuss at-home, dental-grade whitening options, or have questions about keeping your teeth white once you leave the dental office, get in touch with a local dental professional. They can tell you more about the teeth whitening procedure.