How To Keep Your Newly Whitened Teeth Bright And Beautiful Over The Holidays

The holidays are quickly approaching! If you've recently had your teeth whitened, you'll find that maintaining that white bright smile can be a challenge at this time of year. Many of the foods that people consume at holiday feasts can have a detrimental effect on white teeth. From wine to coffee to cranberries, there's a good chance you'll be eating and drinking many foods that stain tooth enamel. Fortunately, there are precautions you can take to minimize this problem. These tips will help you maintain your white smile in the coming weeks.

Brush Your Teeth Before Meals

Brushing your teeth before a big meal can help make the surface of your teeth slicker. This allows food to roll off the tooth enamel during the meal, minimizing the exposure between your teeth and the dark, staining foods. Of course, you may forget to bring your toothbrush with you to holiday meals and events. If this happens, here are a few ways that you can keep your teeth clean without brushing:

• Chew sugarless gum. Chewing sugarless is a good way to clean your teeth before eating a big meal because it helps get the saliva flowing.
• Eat raw vegetables or an apple or a pear. Like chewing gum, eating raw vegetables and crunchy fruits gets saliva going. These foods also produce a cleaning action when rubbed against teeth that can help get the teeth clean.
• Swish with sea salt and water. Salt water can help remove old bits of food while also killing some of the bacteria on your teeth.

Swish With Sparkling Water During Meals

As you eat your holiday feast, swish your mouth with sparkling water. If you're drinking wine at your meal, swish with sparkling water between sips of wine. This will help wash away crumbs that get stuck in your teeth and acidic beverages like red wine and coffee.

Use Tooth Wipes After The Meal

Tooth wipes are a product specifically designed to remove stains from drinks like red wine, but they can be used for removing stains from other products as well. Give your mouth a while to produce saliva after your meal, then use tooth wipes to wipe your teeth clean.

Following these tips will help you keep your newly whitened teeth bright and beautiful over the holidays. For more suggestions, contact your cosmetic dentist. He or she should be able to suggest more ways that you can keep your teeth bright in the coming weeks, and may even suggest another tooth whitening session after the holidays are over.