How Often Should You Get Your Teeth Whitened?

In the modern era, many people are obsessive about maintaining the whitest possible teeth – and with good reason. Clean, bright, white teeth are generally considered to be more attractive and certainly enhance any smile. There’s a reason Hollywood stars tend to have the brightest smiles on the planet, after all. Modern dentistry can help with your efforts to get and maintain a white smile, with tooth whitening solutions sure to brighten your teeth by several shades. But how often should you get your teeth whitened to ensure that your smile always looks its best? Read on!

Resisting Natural Discoloration and Stains

Tooth whitening is an effective way to resist the discoloration that our teeth experience as we age. It’s also a great way to counter the staining that comes from eating and drinking things like coffee and wine. If you smoke, chances are that the tar and chemicals will stain your teeth over time. Teeth whitening may not totally rid you of that staining or discoloration, but it can reduce it by several shades and give you brighter, whiter teeth and a more attractive smile.

The Power of Tooth Whitening

There are many options for teeth whitening, ranging from over-the-counter solutions to professional dental care. While many of those OTC options can be somewhat effective for short-term whitening results – those brighter teeth generally stay that way for a few months – professional whitening is the best way to provide optimal results that really last. In many instances, that professional treatment can last for as long as a year, with proper maintenance and touch-ups between whitening sessions.

How Frequently Should You Do Touch-Ups?

If you use at-home solutions, chances are that you will need to touch-up your results each month or at best every couple of months. That’s because the whitening agents used in such products tend to be less concentrated than those used by dental professionals. Those weaker chemicals are also why you’ll never enjoy the superior whitening results a dentist’s office can provide.

If you choose the professional approach, you will probably need to whiten your teeth once a year – provided that the whitening process takes place in the dental chair. On the other hand, you may find that you need a touch-up once every four, five, or six months if your dentist chooses a whitening solution that involves products you take home and apply yourself. Regardless, one thing is clear: you’ll require fewer touchups when you opt for professional dental whitening.

It’s also important to remember that not all whitening products are created equal. Some OTC solutions may damage your tooth enamel over time or could even harm your gums. And these products should never be used on a daily or weekly basis, since overuse can cause serious damage as well. Thankfully, you can avoid those risks by having your teeth whitened by professionals who are trained to use these potent products in a safe dental environment – providing you with the bright, perfect smile you deserve in the most effective way possible.