White and bright teeth are a dream to all that improve your self-confidence and smile. While not all the people have whiter teeth naturally, there is a way that provides a brighter smile called professional teeth whitening.

This professional teeth whitening is one of the best cosmetic procedures in dentistry that gives a long term result. These results withstand for a long period only if we follow some of the procedures after this whitening treatment. Let us see some of the aftercare tips after whitening your teeth professionally.

Brush twice with whitening toothpaste

The key to maintaining whiter teeth is brushing twice a day. If you drink something that stains your teeth particularly beverages that are sweet or acidic, you should brush compulsory after drinking those beverages. This helps to remove stains and bacteria in your teeth by removing sugar.

Dentists recommend brushing your teeth after each meal but most people have no time on it. Whatever, you should brush at least twice a day to maintain the whiter teeth. Use toothpaste that is specially designed for whitening teeth. Find the best whitening toothpaste as advised by your dentist.

Use a straw

You may have already known that some drinks like coffees, red wine, dark colas, and some acidic drinks, etc., stains and damage your teeth. While you cannot completely cut these items from your diet list, you can limit these drinks.

Another ideal option is using a straw for drinking; this avoids the direct contact of those beverages from your teeth, especially your front teeth that are most visible.

Stop Dark pigmented foods/drinks

Meanwhile, the reason for tooth discoloration is consuming dark-colored foods or drinks. If maintaining whiter teeth is your only goal, you can limit those items.

Floss

Flossing a day is much important as like brushing twice a day. It helps to maintain healthy gums and also boosts the color of the teeth. Flossing eliminates the residues, and bacteria buildups in the gaps between your teeth, thus the coloration of the gaps will be improved.

Simply brushing teeth won’t remove these hidden bacteria’s; hence flossing improves the overall look of your teeth.

Use whitening kits

Some whitening products are specially designed for tooth whitening. Tooth whitening toothpaste and mouthwash products are highly effective and are readily available.

For the best result, the combination of an electric toothbrush and whitening toothpaste helps you to clean every nook and corners.

Stop smoking

Smoking is the number one enemy for your teeth. It stains your teeth by turning it into brown from yellow. If you think to maintain sparkling white teeth, you should quit the habit of smoking.

Regular dental checkups

Visiting your dentist twice a year is one of the best ways to maintain healthy teeth. Here you can know the reason for stain after a whitening treatment. Hence you must regularly visit your dentist to maintain whiter teeth.

Dental touchups

Tooth whitening is not a permanent one; hence you need to visit your dentist again for touchups. Regular cleanings and touchups help you to know the condition of your teeth. It helps you smile brightly every day.

Tip: Foods to eat after teeth whitening

• Milk
• Egg whites
• White Yogurt
• Strawberries
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Cheese
• Water

Following these tips help you to maintain healthy and brighter teeth forever. Have a sparkling smile ahead!

Crowns help in covering your teeth, which are damaged or decayed. They look like your natural teeth and protect your teeth from further damage.

Tooth crowns are very useful for people who have undergone root canal treatment, suffering from tooth discoloration or damage. These crowns need to be replaced if you feel sensitivity.

Leakage of cement

While fitting your crown, the cement may fail to bond properly with crown resulting in leakage. This cement leakage causes the crown to shift, or even they fall off and results in pain. This is the main cause of sensitivity in teeth after fitting the crown.

Bacterial damage

If the roots are severely damaged due to bacterial infection, they will die and result in a tooth abscess. This is a very painful case that occurs at the root or between the tooth and gum.

 A root canal treatment is the best choice to correct this, but the infection may repeat so that the crown needs a replacement again.

Bite issue

If the crown fixed is too high, it creates an odd sensation in biting. This is also a reason for sensitivity.

Bruxism

People who suffer from bruxism grind and clench their teeth forcefully. This pressure hurts the tooth and results in pain or sensitivity.

Referred pain

This is also a case where the sensitivity might occur to the adjacent tooth rather than the treated tooth. They occur due to the irritation caused by the crown. This adjacent tooth sensitivity is known as referred pain.

Root damage

Once cracks occur in the tooth’s outer hard layer, it gets weakened. Then a fracture occurs in the root, which makes chewing painful. The best way to solve this problem is to extract the whole tooth and the crown.

Gum Infection

The gums surrounding your crown can decrease that exposes a portion of the root.  Once your roots are visible after replacing the crown, you will experience more hot or cold sensitivity.

In turn, exposed roots will set the stage for even more plaque build-up and diseases. It may not be necessary to replace the crown in this situation, and your dentist may prescribe a mouthwash supposed to cure gum infection.

Cavity

Cavities can develop if too much plaque accumulates. The underlying nerves get infected if the cavity multiplies under the crown. This results in major pain. This problem needs a root canal therapy where a tiny hole is drilled into the crown to eliminate the inflamed nerves and tissues around it. It is very important to correct this problem. 

Remedies for sensitivity after crown placement

• Maintaining good oral hygiene is the first step to prevent any problem including your overall health. Brushing and flossing the teeth regularly will keep your mouth away from bacteria accumulation and protects from infection.
• Doing exercises release a hormone called endorphin, which is a natural pain reliever of our body as well as the tooth.
• If you have the problem of teeth grinding, you can wear a mouthguard to protect your crown.
• Meditation or yoga also helps you to forget the pain and relax.
• Saltwater gargling for about thirty seconds works fine as it cleans the infected area and relieves pain temporarily.
• Keeping ice pack over the cheeks by wrapping it in a towel also reduces pain and swelling.

It is normal to get pain after a root canal treatment as it is a major procedure. This process involves deep cleaning of the inner chamber of the tooth. Due to this, the nerves and gums surrounded by those teeth get irritated.

The pain is just temporary. In fact, a root canal treatment is itself to cure the pain of the fractured or decayed tooth. You will get mild to moderate pain after the treatment for few days. If the pain goes for a long period, you should consult a dentist.

Do not stress

You should not stress on the tooth until getting a crown. You should avoid chewing on the treated area and try to chew it on the opposite side of that area.

Brush your teeth carefully

Be mindful in the area being cleaned while flossing and brushing. Obviously, the surrounding gums and teeth still need adequate care. So be attentive, but soft.

Flossing over temporary filling will be a little more difficult. Take your time and don’t make the floss force.

Be careful about eating

You might be thinking about what to eat after the treatment. You can start to eat once you get ready, but be careful about choosing the food. Always choose soft foods and avoid hard or crunchy foods.

 If you eat crunchy foods, it may damage the temporary fillings. Those temporary fillings act as a sealant until the permanent restoration is fixed.

 Hard foods will damage the fillings or even break the tooth. Hence, you should be very careful about what you eat until getting the permanent restoration.

Fix the crown

During root canal treatment, the interior area of your tooth will be removed, making the structure of your tooth to be poor. Thus, in order to protect the teeth from further damage, a cap or crown should be placed.

These crowns are placed at the second stage of the treatment once your tooth and mouth are healed. Crown plays an effective role in bringing up the proper shape of the tooth.

Sometimes there will be pain after placing a new crown also. It is normal, and the pain diminishes quickly.

Pain relievers

To reduce inflammation and relief from pain, medicines like Ibuprofen or Tylenol can be used. They are anti-inflammatory and reduce the discomfort that you may feel after the day of treatment for some days.

Yoga and meditations also help you to relieve from pain apart from pain medications.

Regular cleaning

You should not skip any appointment given by your dentist. Proper cleaning keeps you healthy and free from infection. If there is a pain for a long period after the treatment, visit your dentist for an alternate solution.

Points to remember

• Do not brush aggressively
• Always eat soft foods, and avoid hard or crunchy foods
• Do not fail to go any appointments
• Visit your dentist as soon as if the pain gets longer.

Root canal treatment aftercare is very important as it involves one of the major procedures. Following these rules helps you to quickly recover from the pain. We also should thank the modern techniques as the olden techniques are more painful.

You won’t believe if I say your tooth enamel is the strongest tissue in our body. They are very stronger than bones and even harder than steel. Enamel is a very hard outer layer of your teeth that protects your teeth from damage or decay.

Even though they are harder, it can be broken and leads to enamel erosion. They lead to various dental problems. Here are some reasons for enamel erosion.

Acidic foods

Do you know acidic foods put your teeth enamel at risk? Yes, fruits like orange, lemon, strawberry, and grapes, etc., are healthy to your body, but they will erode your enamel. This is why they should be eaten along with water to minimize the damage level. These foods are not the only product that harms your teeth, products like pickle, ketchup, coffee, wine, etc., also wear away your enamel and stains your teeth. These foods should not be consumed regularly.

GERD (Gastro-Esophageal reflex disease)

There will be a pipe that connects your mouth with the stomach called Esophagus. When GERD occurs, the stomach acid flows back and reach the mouth. They too wear down your enamel leading to enamel erosion.

Xerostomia

The saliva in your mouth removes food debris and bacteria in your mouth and prevent from decay. They also neutralize the acids in your mouth and protect from enamel damage. When there is a lack of saliva secretion, dryness in the mouth occurs leading to enamel erosion. Several factors like smoking, diabetes, HIV, chemotherapy, etc., are responsible for this dryness in the mouth.

Poor dental habits

Your saliva is responsible for constantly neutralizing the acid in the mouth. But if you eat more acidic foods and fail to brush your teeth twice and floss, your outer layer of the teeth will be weakened over time. You should brush after an hour if you eat something sugary or acidic.

Eating disorder

Some people suffer from fear of getting overweight and avoid eating proper food, and this eating disorder is called anorexia. Due to this, they lack nutrition. This lack of nutrition may lead to enamel erosion. Bulimia is another eating disorder where people eat more amount of food in a small amount of time. Then they attempt to get rid of the consumed food out by vomiting to lose their weight. When they do this often, the acidity in vomit damages your tooth enamel and erode it.

Bruxism

Bruxism or teeth grinding is another problem which occurs mainly due to anxiety or stress. Occasional teeth grinding is normal, and it won’t make any problem. Regular teeth grinding should be noticeable and must be treated. When they left untreated, the enamel will be removed slowly, leading to enamel wear, and a chip, or crack in the tooth.

Health disorders

Some health disorders are also associated with these enamel erosion.

There are some symptoms that help you know your enamel is eroding:

1) Sensitivity in tooth

2) Pain and discomfort

3) Tooth discoloration (yellowish teeth)

4) A chip or crack in the tooth

5) Translucent or shiny teeth

If you notice these symptoms, consult a dentist to get the problem fixed earlier. There are some preventive measures also to prevent enamel erosion. They are:

1) Avoiding or minimizing certain foods from your diet.

2) Following proper dental hygiene routine.

3) Wearing a mouthguard if you have bruxism.

4) Dental bonding treatment.

5) Crowns or veneers treatment.

Follow these preventive measures to avoid various teeth problems in the future. If you found any of the symptoms matching you, consult a dentist immediately.