How do you keep your teeth white when you have braces?!
Question: How do you keep your teeth white when you have braces.?
I have had braces for about a year and a half now and I've noticed that my teeth are a little yellow. They used to be white, not perfect white but white. I don't want my teeth to turn yellowish-brown like people say is what their teeth look like after they have braces. I brush my teeth 2 times a day and on the weekends 3 so I don't understand why they have turned more yellowish!!Health Question & Answer
Answers:
Providing that you are keeping your teeth clean (and it sounds like you are), here is what you can do now... and what you can do AFTER your braces come off.
1. First, be aware that your perception is that your teeth look yellow. Next to your brackets, they may look as though they are more yellow than you remember, but they may not be.
2. Second, ANY toothpaste with a slight 'grit' to it will polish just as well as any other- regardless of whether they proclaim that they whiten your teeth. Other than Rembrandt toothpastes, they have no more whitening power than any paste with any pumice in it (what makes it feel 'gritty'). These will gently polish off superficial stains, which is all you want to do right now.
3. Be aware that Rembrandt toothpaste does not actually whiten your teeth, but it does have one handy effect: it contains a natural enzyme (derived from papaya) which breaks down proteins in your saliva that may hinder whitening gels (which you should not use while your braces are on). Later on, when it's time to bleach, AFTER your braces are removed, remember to use Rembrandt right before you bleach, and you'll get a better result.
4. It is true that anything that will stain a white shirt can stain your teeth. Coffee, tea, soda, red wine, mustard, grape juice can darken teeth over time; however, I doubt your braces have been on long enough for that to have happened to any noticeable degree - unless you were a frequent "bleacher" before you got your braces. Overbleached teeth pick up stain like crazy.
5. Get a automated toothbrush; I prefer Sonicare for stain removal, but any "electric" toothbrush will far outperform a manual brush. Don't forget to floss.
6. Once your braces are off, I am sure (with a high degree of certainty) that you will not see a difference between the parts of your teeth covered by brackets and the parts that weren't. Whether you do or you don't, getting your teeth professionally whitened is a nice reward for successfully completing your ortho treatment.
7. When you're ready to whiten, find a dentist that does Zoom2 whitening, but question the office very carefully (but nicely) to make sure that they are using the very latest lamp. It is to an extreme degree many many times more powerful than the last Zoom2 lamp model. Zoom doesn't advertise the difference because they don't like admitting how much the last model didn't do, in comparison with the new model. Most dental offices offering Zoom2 are not even aware of the extreme difference between the very newest model and the previous one. Ask how involved the doctor supervises the staff training and treatment, and ask (nicely) whether the assistant performing your treatment has taken the most recent online training directly provided by Zoom. The new techniques are for your safety, and if not properly trained, the assistant can badly burn you.
8. When you're touching up at home after your professional whitening, use Rembrandt right beforehand, and your result will be better.
Good luck!
Health Question & Answer
1. First, be aware that your perception is that your teeth look yellow. Next to your brackets, they may look as though they are more yellow than you remember, but they may not be.
2. Second, ANY toothpaste with a slight 'grit' to it will polish just as well as any other- regardless of whether they proclaim that they whiten your teeth. Other than Rembrandt toothpastes, they have no more whitening power than any paste with any pumice in it (what makes it feel 'gritty'). These will gently polish off superficial stains, which is all you want to do right now.
3. Be aware that Rembrandt toothpaste does not actually whiten your teeth, but it does have one handy effect: it contains a natural enzyme (derived from papaya) which breaks down proteins in your saliva that may hinder whitening gels (which you should not use while your braces are on). Later on, when it's time to bleach, AFTER your braces are removed, remember to use Rembrandt right before you bleach, and you'll get a better result.
4. It is true that anything that will stain a white shirt can stain your teeth. Coffee, tea, soda, red wine, mustard, grape juice can darken teeth over time; however, I doubt your braces have been on long enough for that to have happened to any noticeable degree - unless you were a frequent "bleacher" before you got your braces. Overbleached teeth pick up stain like crazy.
5. Get a automated toothbrush; I prefer Sonicare for stain removal, but any "electric" toothbrush will far outperform a manual brush. Don't forget to floss.
6. Once your braces are off, I am sure (with a high degree of certainty) that you will not see a difference between the parts of your teeth covered by brackets and the parts that weren't. Whether you do or you don't, getting your teeth professionally whitened is a nice reward for successfully completing your ortho treatment.
7. When you're ready to whiten, find a dentist that does Zoom2 whitening, but question the office very carefully (but nicely) to make sure that they are using the very latest lamp. It is to an extreme degree many many times more powerful than the last Zoom2 lamp model. Zoom doesn't advertise the difference because they don't like admitting how much the last model didn't do, in comparison with the new model. Most dental offices offering Zoom2 are not even aware of the extreme difference between the very newest model and the previous one. Ask how involved the doctor supervises the staff training and treatment, and ask (nicely) whether the assistant performing your treatment has taken the most recent online training directly provided by Zoom. The new techniques are for your safety, and if not properly trained, the assistant can badly burn you.
8. When you're touching up at home after your professional whitening, use Rembrandt right beforehand, and your result will be better.
Good luck!
Health Question & Answer
Just brush good, use mouthwash, floss, and stay away from yellowing foods and drinks such as coffee or soda. But DO NOT use whitening products because when the braces are taken off the part where your brackets were will be yellow underneath. Health Question & Answer
Stay way from food and drink that could stain a white t-shirt. And I like Crest Pro Health toothpaste for whiter healthier teeth.Health Question & Answer
Baking Soda periodically and a good rinse.Health Question & Answer
Try three times w/ Rembrandt.Health Question & Answer