It’s common for teeth to become discolored over time, whether it be due to age, lifestyle habits, or oral hygiene. If you’d like to achieve a whiter, healthier smile, our cosmetic dentist can help! Many of our patients see fast results by opting for teeth whitening and making some positive changes to their oral hygiene. Here are the best ways to whiten your teeth.

1. Avoid Foods That Stain

If you want to keep a naturally white smile, you’ll want to limit certain foods and drinks. Coffee is one of the biggest culprits behind tooth discoloration. While we understand that coffee provides that much-needed boost of energy as you’re trying to get out the door, it can also stain teeth over time. Even if you don’t stop drinking coffee completely, you might want to cut down on how much you drink each day. Other foods that stain teeth include wine, tea, tomato sauce, and berries.

2. Brush and Floss Your Teeth

Plaque is an invisible film of bacteria that lives on your teeth. Over time, plaque buildup can increase your risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Hardened plaque (tartar) can also give your teeth a yellow or brown-colored tinge. One of the best ways to protect your white smile is to brush twice a day and floss once daily.

Most dentists agree that you’ll need to brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes at a time. If we still find plenty of plaque and tartar on your teeth, we may recommend adding a fluoride mouthwash to your oral hygiene routine.

3. Visit the Dentist Regularly

Brushing and flossing your teeth at home isn’t enough to fully protect oral health. You’ll also need to make sure you schedule a teeth cleaning with our office to remove plaque and tartar from teeth. Only a dental professional will be able to remove tartar from teeth. If you have a lot of tartar buildup, your smile will look slightly whiter after your appointment. Your dental hygienist will use a tool called a scaler to gently scrape plaque and tartar from teeth.

4. Protect Your Tooth Enamel

Underneath your tooth enamel is a brownish layer called dentin. If your natural enamel wears away, the dentin is exposed, which can lead to a discolored or stained appearance. It’s important to preserve your natural tooth enamel, as once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. A good oral hygiene routine and regular dental visits can help you keep your enamel intact.

5. Avoid Over-the-Counter Products

While there are plenty of over-the-counter options for teeth whitening, such as whitening strips or charcoal toothpastes, many of these products can actually damage your teeth in the long run. Certain natural remedies can strip away the enamel on your teeth, weakening them and possibly causing tooth sensitivity. Ask our teeth whitening dentist for your options if you’re interested in whitening your teeth.

6. Try Professional Teeth Whitening

Interested in teeth whitening at home? Our dentist may recommend custom teeth whitening trays to help you achieve a whiter smile. First, we’ll need to take impressions of your teeth to send to the lab. When you come back for your second appointment, your teeth whitening tray will be ready. Our teeth whitening dentist may slightly adjust the fit of your tray so it fits comfortably.

7. Ask about Cosmetic Procedures

Each smile is different. If you only need to improve the shade of one tooth, our dentist may recommend dental crowns or porcelain veneers. We use CEREC (Chairside Economic Restorations of Esthetic Ceramics) technology, which means we’ll be able to create and place your new dental crown in one appointment. However, our dentist may recommend porcelain veneers to save as much natural tooth structure as possible. Veneers are wafer-thin porcelain shells we bond to the fronts of your teeth that show when you smile or talk.

Ready to Make an Appointment?

Our teeth whitening dentists in Grand Rapids, MI are accepting new patients! To request an appointment with GR Family Dental, call (616) 455-3020.