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Watch What You Eat After Zoom! Whitening

Zoom!Whitening is the best teeth lightening system on the market. That’s why we offer it at Dentistry of Johns Creek, providing dental services to patients in the Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Suwanee, Duluth and Cumming, GA areas. For the best results, we recommend that you have a dental cleaning prior to whitening because of the Zoom! The whitening gel cannot penetrate through plaque and calculus. The treatment works by exfoliating stains from inside your teeth to bring them back to their natural color. The whitening process removes stains that accumulate over the years from coffee, tea, juice, red wine, soda, fruits and berries, sauces, chocolate and more. We measure your initial shade before treatment, and afterward, we measure your final shade to see how many shades lighter your teeth have become. The final shade is your natural tooth color, which is unique for everyone. Most of our patients at Dentistry of Johns Creek see an improvement of 4 or more shades following a Zoom!Whitening treatment, with as high a change as 8 shades, depending on your natural tooth tone and the level of staining. However, if your natural tooth color is not “chicklet” white, you cannot expect “chicklet” white after whitening.

What Can I Eat After Treatment?

Your teeth are most vulnerable to absorbing stains for 48 hours following your in-office whitening. The enamel remains porous for this period of time, making it easy for coffee, tea, red wine, soy sauce, pasta sauce, berries, juices, soda, and other dark foods and liquids to penetrate the outer surface of enamel and alter your results. The rule-of-thumb we recommend for protecting the results of your whitening is: refrain for 48 hours from all drinks and foods that would stain a white T-shirt. Basically, the diet should be clear liquids and light hued foods such as:

water
potatoes,
clear soups,
dairy products,
white floured baked goods/crackers,
white rice,
cereals,
chicken, turkey and whited fleshed fish,
bananas,
pasta with light sauce – no cheese or marinara,
cauliflower, turnips, garlic, and onions

Typically within 48 hours after discontinuing chemical exposure, the buffering effects of the saliva help remineralize the enamel and the teeth should be more resistant to foods that tend to discolor, so you can then return to your normal foods. However, for the first 2 weeks after treatment your teeth are more prone to absorbing stains, so do not allow stain forming foods to remain on your teeth for long. If you need to drink dark liquids, use a straw to bypass the front of your teeth, that way only the backs of your teeth are exposed to the liquids. Every time you eat, brush and rinse as soon as possible after consuming food or beverages

What About Existing Dental Work?

Any dental work already existing in your mouth will not change color as a result of whitening. Since crowns and veneers are made of porcelain, the fabricated shade cannot be changed. The color of a dental bonding, and/or a filling also can’t be lightened, as the color of the material is chosen to match your existing teeth before they’re positioned. But the existence of a crown, veneer, or a filling on a front tooth shouldn’t stop you from having whitening treatment. Often the color of the restorative work is actually lighter than the rest of the teeth – over the years the surrounding natural teeth may have become stained or the shade wasn’t exactly matched originally, especially if the dental work is several years old. If this is the case, Dr. Shackelford suggests it may be time to consider replacing the current bonding, veneer or crown if there is a significant color difference.

To maintain your new white smile, it is important to maintain a good oral care routine and continue using whitening products. We offer an at-home whitening kit and a portable whitening pen to help remove stains before they penetrate. When you come into our conveniently located office in Johns Creek, Dr. Shackelford will consult with you before starting the treatment to answer all of your concerns and discuss possible options.

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