Now that you are done with bleaching, what do you do? You are finished with the daily bleaching procedures that lasted as long as 4 hours. Can you brush your teeth now, and should you? What can you drink and eat, should you floss and rinse and if yes, how often and how?
Let's start with rinsing. You should do that first. Do your best not to swallow the gel. If your kit comes with mouthwash, use it. If not, look for a product that contains fluoride. Fluoride is needed because bleaching results in demineralization of the tooth enamel (reduction of the mineral content), and fluoride helps reverse this process. Your saliva acts to reload minerals, and this is a natural process, but it takes at least thirty minutes during which your teeth are not protected. This is where the fluoride comes into play. Avoid rinsing with liquids that are colored or have high acidic content, because they are quite harmful. Consequently, you should not drink fruit juice, carbonated beverages, and other artificial liquids. Have just water at first. Do not rush to brush your teeth after the last bleaching procedure. You should wait at least half an hour. Then, brush lightly because your enamel is still vulnerable from insufficient minerals. Good toothpaste by anyone's standard should contain both potassium nitrate for sensitive teeth and fluoride.
As for eating and your daily menu, you should not consume anything right after the treatment for the same reason. Wait around an hour before you have a meal. Avoid cold and hot meals. Do not use colored mouthwash for 48 hours if your bleaching procedure took place in the morning or early afternoon. If this is the case, use white toothpaste only. If the bleaching session took place late at night, you should not brush your teeth before you go to bed. You can do this in the morning. Again, do not use colored mouthwash or hard toothbrushes.
Drinks that leave tooth stains include all things carbonated, tea, coffee, coke, colored juices, etc. In this group are all colored alcoholic beverages, including all kinds of beer and wine. Foods you should avoid in the next 48 hours include sweet corn, peas, green beans, broccoli, sprouts, beetroot, sprouts, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Other foods to avoid are red or green lettuce, all fruits except bananas, bread, most sauces (especially the likes of Bolognaise), and all cream. You should not consume margarine or butter, and especially chocolate and other sweets. Candy leaves stains and damages sensitive teeth!
Do not worry though! The list of allowed foods is lengthy as well. You can have skimmed milk, white wine, gin, vodka, tonic water, and sparkling water. You can have dry or boiled chicken of the fat-free variety, turkey, white fish, white rice, and white pasta with white sauce. Other products on your menu include boiled, baked, and mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, and sugar free chewing gum.
