Baton Rouge Dentist

How Can I Limit Tea Stains on My Teeth?

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A cup of tea, for info on minimizing tea stains on teethI use whitening strips every six months, but I cannot keep up with the tea stains on my teeth. I drink about four cups of teeth daily. Will it help keep the stains away if I brush my teeth after I drink tea? What stain-removing toothpaste brands do you recommend? Thank you. Janelle from Douglasville, GA

Janelle,

Thank you for your question. We will give you some suggestions on how to minimize teeth stains from teeth while enjoying your tea.

How Can You Limit Tea Stains on Your Teeth?

You can minimize tea stains on your teeth with these precautions:

  • Avoid sipping on tea all day
  • Rinsing your mouth after you drink it
  • Choosing less acidic teas and limiting highly acidic teas
  • Avoid brushing your teeth immediately after drinking tea

Avoid Sipping Tea All Day

Sipping on tea all day increases stains on your teeth. It is best to consume tea in the morning rather than for a prolonged period.

Rinse Your Mouth After Drinking Tea

Rinse your mouth with water after you finish the tea. Water neutralizes the acid in your mouth and helps prevent erosion and demineralization. Water also promotes saliva production.

Avoid or Limit Highly Acidic Tea

Acid from tea lowers the pH of your mouth. Highly acidic teas will demineralize your teeth, causing them to lose calcium, phosphorous, and other minerals. Your tooth enamel and dentin, the layer beneath the enamel, will soften after drinking highly acidic tea but will harden as your saliva production increases.

Any tea below four on the pH scale is highly acidic and likely to promote tooth decay and acid reflux, which further erodes tooth enamel.

The average pH level of tea:

  • Black tea: 4.9-5.5
  • Green tea: 7-10
  • Herbal tea: 6-7
  • Fruit Teas: 2-3

Tea Has Health Benefits

Tea has health benefits, so you don’t need to stop drinking it. The March 2009 issue of the Journal of Periodontology published research that shows that people who drink green tea regularly have better periodontal (gums) health than people who do not drink the tea regularly. Healthy gums reduce the risk of oral infection, tooth decay, and tooth loss.

Avoid Brushing Your Teeth After Drinking Tea

Avoid brushing your teeth after drinking tea because the beverage lowers your mouth’s pH. If you brush while your teeth soften temporarily from demineralization, it can weaken and damage tooth enamel. If your tooth enamel becomes weak, talk to your dentist about fluoride treatment. You may find whitening toothpaste that removes surface stains from your teeth but beware of abrasive toothpaste that can scratch your tooth enamel. Whitening toothpaste cannot remove stains deeper than the tooth enamel.

Professional Teeth Whitening for Tea Stains

Thorough whitening can help your teeth stay whiter and longer. In-office or take-home teeth whitening from a dentist breaks down stubborn stains beneath the enamel. If you have limited success removing tea stains from your teeth, talk to a dentist about professional whitening.

Dr. Ryan Perry, a Baton Rouge family dentist, sponsors this post.

 

How Often Can You Whiten Your Teeth?

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When the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry asked survey participants what they would like to improve about their smile, the most common response was: whiter, brighter teeth. If you are thinking about whitening your teeth or have already begun treatment, what should you know about whitening frequency? How often is too often to whiten your teeth?

How Often Can You Whiten Your Teeth?

How often you whiten your teeth depends on your phase in the whitening process. You will whiten more frequently when you begin treatment, remembering to wait for the color to stabilize before you keep whitening your teeth. Afterward, you will decrease the whitening frequency for touchups throughout your lifetime.

Beginning whitening treatment

Your dentist will recommend a frequency for in-office or take-home treatment when you begin whitening.

  • In-office – Your dentist will do in-office whitening, often in three to four 15- to 20-minute sessions. Let the color stabilize to see if you have reached the desired brightness. Depending on how bright you want your smile, your dentist may recommend continuing whitening at home for up to two weeks. Also, you may need to return to the dental office for another whitening session.
  • At-home whitening – You will use bleaching gel and trays to whiten your teeth daily or nightly for two weeks. Depending on the bleaching gel strength and your tooth sensitivity, you will leave the gel on for 30 minutes or more.

Teeth whitening touchups

Periodic touchups at home will keep your smile bright. Your dentist can provide custom bleaching trays. Custom trays offer these benefits:

  • Even coverage during whitening
  • Maximum penetration of the bleaching gel into your teeth
  • Protecting your gums from exposure to the gel and burns

How Long Does Teeth Whitening Last?

Close-up smile, portraying teeth whitening vs bonding for white spots on teeth
Dentist-supervised teeth whitening is safe and effective

According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, teeth whitening lasts six months to two years. But each person’s case is different. If you drink coffee or tea or use tobacco products, those habits will stain your teeth, and you may need to do whitening touchups more often.

Can You Whiten Your Teeth Too Much?

Yes, you can over-whiten your teeth with bleaching gel. The American Dental Association cautions that excessive whitening can have these effects:

  • Tooth-nerve irritation
  • Sensitivity
  • Tooth enamel damage
  • Gum irritation

If you begin to feel increased sensitivity from whitening your teeth, your dentist may recommend one or more of these remedies:

  • Give your teeth a break and stop bleaching them
  • Use toothpaste for sensitive teeth before and after bleaching
  • Fluoride treatments to reduce sensitivity
  • A lower strength bleaching gel
  • Pre-bleaching conditioning gel

Conclusion

Whitening your teeth is an excellent option for a smile makeover. But do not overdo it. Follow instructions from your dentist or the bleaching gel manufacturer for safe whitening that will not harm your teeth or gums.

 

Baton Rouge family dentist Dr. Ryan Perry sponsors this post.

What Are Some Expert Teeth-Bleaching Tips?

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Hello there,

I got my teeth whitened in my dentist’s office. I was given Opalescence whitening trays to take home to touch them up. I’m planning to get crowns at some point, so I want to bleach my teeth properly. How long do I need to bleach? A few hours every day, or a few times a week? Should I stop bleaching several days before my dental appointment? Any input you could give me would be very appreciated, I’m a bit confused about everything.

Kate Zimmerman, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

Hi Kate,

Your dentist should have given you some instructions with the take-home kit. To answer your questions, the more you whiten, the whiter your teeth will be. It doesn’t matter what time you whiten your teeth, but if you get sensitivity from the bleaching trays, you should do it at night. You should leave the bleaching trays in for at least 20-30 minutes, but the longer, the better. If you leave them overnight, your saliva production rate slows down, so nighttime use may be more effective, as the gel will stay in the tray longer.

You do not need to use trays specifically for nighttime use, as they contain excessive amounts of peroxide. The more you whiten, your teeth will continue to change color, but the pace at which your teeth whiten will slow down. You should stop whitening when you reach the color you want. However, depending on how much you red wine, coffee, soda, or tobacco products you consume, your teeth will dull in color. If this happens, you can use your touch-up trays a few hours a day once or twice a year.

Be sure to get your crowns done by a cosmetic dentist with a lot of experience and continuing education in cosmetic dentistry. Your dentist should be able to answer your questions clearly and concisely prior to getting your work done. If you have any doubts, be sure to get a second opinion.

This blog post is brought to you by Baton Rouge Family Dentist, Dr. Ryan Perry.

 

How Long Does Tooth Whitening Last?

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Hi there,

I got a free teeth whitening kit with custom trays as a promotion from my new dentist. At first, I was so pleased with the results after just a few weeks. My teeth looked so much brighter! However, it didn’t last very long — they’ve gone back to their usual shade. I’m due to go back in for a check-up anyway. Did my dentist give me a poor quality kit on purpose, so I’d come back in for a real whitening? Or is it just a coincidence?

Alice, from Versailles, Kentucky

 

Hi Alice,

The whitening kit you received was likely a professional-grade whitening kit. How long your teeth whitening lasts is based on several factors, such as:

  • Whether you drink coffee, tea, or red wine
  • Whether you eat dark-colored foods like tomato sauce, soy sauce, or curry
  • Whether you are a smoker

If you enjoy any of the above to excess, your teeth will stain more quickly. Enjoying them in moderation, along with healthy oral habits, will extend how long your teeth whitening lasts.

To prevent staining your teeth, try the following tips:

  • Avoid eating acidic foods — they will wear down your enamel faster
  • Brush your teeth after meals or at least 2-3 times a day
  • Avoid sipping on acidic beverages such as coffee or tea, or sugary beverages like cola or sports drinks. Drink them quickly, or use a straw to minimize contact. If you can, brush your teeth immediately after.
  • Cut back or quit smoking.

You can also use your whitening kit for a few days to get your teeth back to the shade you like, and talk to your dentist about your options at your next visit.

This blog post is brought to you by Baton Rouge teeth whitening provider, Dr. Ryan P. Perry.

Am I damaging my teeth with my teeth whitening?

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I love whitening my teeth. I started when I went to a dentist who had a promotion going that you would get a free teeth whitening kit as a new patient. My teeth weren’t terrible when I started, but they looked a little yellow to me. I got the whitening trays and the gel and used them pretty religiously.  My teeth got whiter when I used the whitening trays, but I was afraid they would yellow again if I didn’t keep doing something. So when I had dentist visits, I would get more gel. I would also use some whitening strips from the drug store in between visits. I have done this for some time now. I’m out of gel again and am wondering if I should just do the in-office whitening treatment. My husband is worried that I’ll hurt my teeth doing much more whitening. Could this happen?

Thanks,

Bright Whites

Dear Bright Whites,

For most people, a regular schedule of whitening each month is okay. This is especially true of people who regularly smoke or consume staining food or drinks. Not all tooth whitening is created equally, though.

Teeth whitening methods

The teeth whitening strips you use from the drug store are the weakest of the whitening methods you use. Because they aren’t on as long and the formula isn’t as strong, whitening strips aren’t as effective for brightening a smile.

Whitening trays and the gel you get from a dentist’s office are stronger. The nice thing about this method is that you can do it from home. When used regularly, these can help whiten your teeth.Teeth whitened

The third method is the teeth whitening you mentioned that is done in the dentist’s office. This is done with a bleaching agent that is placed on all your teeth and a light is shined on them. This can take a couple of hours and is effective, but is more expensive.

Over-whitening

Some people start to exhibit problems when they over-whiten their teeth. It can lead to sensitivity or translucent teeth. Oddly enough, it can also lead to more staining. Your teeth naturally have holes in the surface that are microscopic. These holes are normally closed. When you whiten your teeth, those holes open up. After the bleaching process, it can take time–from a few days to a few weeks–for them to close up completely again. Unfortunately, if you smoke or consume staining foods or drinks such as grape juice, berries, or coffee, the teeth will start to absorb those stains right after the whitening treatment.

Ideally you should talk to your dentist about the amount of whitening you are doing. Make sure he is aware of the frequency and duration of your treatments at home. He will help you know if a whitening treatment in the office is recommended or if he would advise against it.

You can also brighten your smile by making sure you have white fillings in your teeth, as well.

This post is sponsored by Dr. Ryan Perry of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.