How Often Should I Get Teeth Whitening?

How Often Should I Get Teeth Whitening?

If you’re a regular teeth whitener or are just considering having your smile boosted, it’s normal to have some questions about the potential treatments and how they work. As one of the most popular cosmetic dental treatments available, teeth whitening can provide an instant boost to both your smile and confidence.

This guide to how often you should get your teeth whitened will help. In determining this, we’ll look at a range of considerations – including the actual science behind teeth whitening and how it works, to what dentists consider best practice in offering these treatments.

The Science of Teeth Whitening

In figuring out how often you should get your teeth whitening, it’s worth looking into how teeth whitening treatments work, and what determines their longevity. Teeth whitening treatments use peroxide products to help break down stubborn stains on teeth. This involves the oxidisation of the discoloured molecules, breaking them down and leaving teeth at your desired shade. Surface stains are regularly treated effectively using teeth whitening, though there are other types of deep stains that may require alternative cosmetic dental procedures – such as cosmetic bonding.

How often you need your teeth whitening will ultimately depend upon your own preferences and lifestyle. If you seek bright, white teeth but have a lifestyle involving consumption of staining products, you will likely need more upkeep. If you don’t mind a slightly more natural look and don’t drink black coffee every day, you’ll likely not need as many treatments for upkeep.

READ MORE: How Does Teeth Whitening Work?

How to Tell it’s Time for a Whitening Touch-Up

It’s difficult to provide a set timeframe within which you should seek a whitening top-up. This is because the longevity of treatments will vary for a number of reasons, from individual lifestyles and habits to the skillset and experience levels of the dentist who applied your treatment. Signs you should get whitening touched up can be carefully monitored at home, however, and you are often the best person to seek treatment depending on your goals and how well your teeth align with them!

• Staining – The return of visible staining may be one of the first signs you need a top-up on your teeth whitening regime.
  
• Lacking Brightness – This can happen gradually and be difficult to notice, but if you find your teeth lack that initial bright sheen, this is normal. Once they become noticeably dull is when you’ll likely want to seek a whitening treatment. If you’ve found yourself feeling less confident in your smile, it may be time to head back to the dentist!
  
• Oral Hygiene isn’t Working – If you are sticking to your regular and diligent oral hygiene routine and it just doesn’t seem to be shifting darker areas, you may need a touch up.
  
• Lifestyle Changes – If you have recently changed elements of your lifestyle or habits you regularly engage in, this could alter the frequency with which your teeth will need whitening to stay looking fresh. Smoking, drinking staining beverages, and eating foods that stain are common lifestyle shifts that cause patients to seek more regular whitening.
  
• Special Occasion – If you have a special occasion, milestone, or event coming up, it’s natural to want to look your best. Having your teeth whitened beforehand can boost both your confidence and your smile during the occasion!

Most dentists will recommend that you wait around 6 to 12 months in between professional whitening treatments. This is due to the level of peroxide and whitening agents in some solutions and how it could potentially weaken teeth and increase sensitivity with repeated use. Giving your teeth time to ‘rest’ between treatments is considered best practice, and if applied well, overly-frequent applications just aren’t necessary!

Professional vs. At-Home Kits

Whether you opt for a professional whitening experience or a DIY, at-home teeth whitening kit, this could impact the longevity of your results. For professional treatments, it’s often recommended you leave 6 – 12 months between results. This can depend on how well you maintain your results, which could be boosted with at-home touch-ups and special whitening toothpastes or products. Do ask your dentist about which specific products they’d recommend for at-home use.

Many dentists now also offer a mixture of at-home and in-surgery professional whitening treatments, which are used at varying frequencies. Always be wary and follow your dentist’s advice for application, as overuse can cause weakening and sensitive teeth.

The most effective treatments often involve a mixture of at-home and in-surgery whitening. This involves a professional whitening treatment applied at the dentist, followed by a series of whitening trays to wear for a couple of weeks to ensure the treatment is boosted. You can find out more about our tooth whitening options here.

Care Between Treatments

There are a variety of ways you can care for your teeth in-between whitening treatments. Doing this effectively can ensure you are prolonging results of whitening, keeping stains at bay and reducing how often you need treatments. Here are some of the most recommended upkeep tips from cosmetic dentists:

• Attend regular dental check-ups. This can help your dentist pinpoint exactly when you would benefit from a touch-up, whilst also ensuring you are receiving top dental care in between.
  
• Avoid tobacco and staining products, foods, and drinks. These include things like red wine, coffee, and berries – all good in moderation, but can make a huge difference in excess. You will also likely be warned to avoid any staining products in the 24 – 48 hours immediately following your whitening treatment, as teeth are more porous and susceptible to staining during this time.
  
• Keep hydrated! Drinking plenty of water helps reduce the potential for staining and discoloured teeth. This is because it washes away much of the bacteria left over from eating food, which can cause stains to form.
  
• Regular upkeep of good oral hygiene means your whitening treatment is likely to look fresher for longer.
  
• Use whitening maintenance products recommended by your dentist. If you’re waiting for a whitening top up but you’ve noticed a stain coming through, at-home touch-up kits or whitening pens could be ideal in the meantime.

Professional Teeth Whitening by Ringway Dental

At Ringway Dental, we can transform your smile via effective whitening treatments. If you’re ready to rejuvenate your smile, get in touch with our team today. You can call our reception on 0161 437 2029, or book online on our contact page.

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