Having a great-looking smile can change how you feel and act, and one of the easiest ways to make a big difference in your smile is with professional teeth whitening at the dentist. If you’re planning to have your teeth whitened, talk to the dentist at your next visit. We’ve noticed that there’s a pattern to when and why our patients get their teeth whitened, so here are a few suggestions so you can plan ahead.

Wedding Season – Summer

This may sound obvious for a bride-to-be who’s planning to wear a white dress, but it’s also a great time of year for teeth whitening for those not headed for the altar. If you’ve been invited to a wedding, chances are there will be a lot of photos taken of you too, often with someone in bright white by your side.

If you’ve got a few weddings on your calendar this coming summer, we suggest getting a professional teeth whitening at the dentist then maintaining between events using over-the-counter teeth whitening products. Dentists know how to whiten teeth safely with more potent bleaching chemicals and can give you more predictable results, but store-bought products use the same chemicals in much lower concentrations and can help maintain the look of your smile after an initial whitening at our office.

Back-to-School – Fall

Young people love returning from summer break with a tan and stories of adventure. They also want to look their best for their peers, especially with school portraits and Homecoming right around the corner. To be clear, we’re not recommending teeth whitening for little ones! Teenagers over the age of 14 generally can be treated as adults when it comes to teeth whitening because their teeth are usually fully developed. As always, however, please talk to the dentist about you or your child’s goals for their smile and whether whitening is right for them.

The Holiday Season – Winter

The holiday season is full of sparkle and shine, and we think some of that glamour should come from your smile! With Thanksgiving, the holiday office party, Christmas, and New Year’s, chances are you’ll be seeing a lot of relatives and friends you don’t see very often so you should look your best. And once again, you’re likely to be posing for a lot more photos than at other times of the year. We know you’ll want to look back on those images fondly and see your happiness, not the color of your smile!

Teeth whitening is a fantastic investment in the appearance of your smile. White teeth are associated with youth and health, and can make a big difference in your self-esteem. If you’re going to put time and money into getting whiter teeth, make sure you make the most of it with these tips!

Don’t Go Back to Bad Habits After

If you’ve noticed your teeth starting to get yellow, chances are you know the culprits: the food you eat. (You should know by now that tobacco also stains your teeth, but if you’re a tobacco-user, we’ve got other things to talk about before we talk about whitening your teeth!) The most obvious tooth-staining foods are coffee, tea and red wine, but berries, soda and chocolate can also cause stains. Pretty much, if it would stain your favorite white shirt, it can stain your teeth. So don’t go right back to eating these foods after your teeth whitening treatment! Teeth can actually be slightly more vulnerable to staining right after whitening than they were before. That’s why many recommend eating only “white” foods afterward (think white bread, pasta, cauliflower, potatoes, etc.).

Know What to Expect

The biggest concern that most people have when getting their teeth whitened is sensitivity. Indeed, tooth sensitivity is the main side effect of whitening, but this sensation is temporary and usually goes away in a few hours or days. A bigger source of disappointment may be how white your teeth end up. Outside of bad habits, the biggest factor in tooth color is actually genetics. If your mom, dad, grandmother, and uncle all have bright white teeth, chances are you can too. But if the rest of your family has yellowish teeth despite never touching tobacco or coffee, the affects you can expect will certainly be whiter, but maybe not as white as a more genetically fortunate friend.

You should also know that there are certain types of tooth discoloration that whitening can’t really fix, such as fluorosis spots or internal staining that can happen as a result of taking certain antibiotics. That’s one of the reasons it’s a good idea to have a professional teeth whitening at the dentist. The dentist will be able to tell you what to expect and whether you’re a good candidate for the treatment.

Follow Up With At-Home Treatments

After teeth whitening treatment, you may be sent home with custom whitening trays and several tubes of whitening gel. This is to provide you with an opportunity to keep your pearly whites just as white over the next few weeks and months. If your teeth whitening treatment didn’t include custom whitening trays from the dentist, you can still maintain your white smile using over-the-counter treatments. However, keep in mind that these are less powerful, require more diligence and patience, and are not as good at getting around the sides of your teeth.