Have you ever wondered if there is a limit to how often you can whiten your teeth?
How often can you whiten your yellow teeth with strips, pens, or other gels, even when it comes to over-the-counter products that aren’t as powerful as the kits you get from your dentist?
While teeth whitening is safe when used properly, there is such a thing as too much whitening (and there are side effects that can come with it).
Most whitening systems are set to whiten your teeth for a maximum of 10-14 consecutive days at any given time. But even then, some people will experience tooth sensitivity or chemical burns to their gums, especially if they don’t follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Normally, you want to whiten for a number of consecutive days to use the contents of the kit you purchased. If you are buying multiple kits at home and using them back to back, it is better to have your teeth professionally whitened.
Whether you’re using commercial whitening strips or an at-home kit from your dentist, most dental professionals recommend that you touch up every 3-4 months or every time you clean your teeth. Typically, you only need to wear the kit 3-4 times to return your smile to a whiter color.
How Long Should I Wait Between Whitening Sessions?
Every teeth whitening treatment is different. Some need to be used consistently every day to work effectively. After Anack has worked on the first treatment or kit, you should usually wait at least a few months before using another treatment. Occasional touch-ups are okay, but you don’t want to use the entire whitening system every 3-4 months and only if you have serious tooth stain.
If you want to know how often you can whiten your teeth with strips, you may need something stronger. At-home teeth whitening treatments, such as plaques and strips, work great when the stain to be removed has only a few shades. However, deeper discoloration responds better to professional teeth whitening treatment for more dramatic results.
With the right gel from your dentist, home-use whitening trays take less time to whiten your teeth than over-the-counter strips. So you don’t need to use the pans for very long and you only need to touch up a few times a year.
If you’re really short on time, same-day in-office treatment will brighten your smile in a single appointment with your dentist. Normally, you’ll also have a take-home kit with special plates to continue whitening after a few days or for future touch-ups.
Touch-ups Against the First Time of Full Whitening
When you whiten your teeth for the first time, you should wear the system as specified. This could be an hour a day for two weeks in a row, or overnight for a week, or just 1 hour in the dentist chair with a professional teeth whitening procedure. Only then do you move on to the maintenance or retouching phase.
This is when you really want to know how often you can whiten your teeth. For touch-ups, it depends on your diet and lifestyle. If you drink a lot of coffee or red wine, you’ll need to touch up your teeth more often than someone who doesn’t drink these things. Usually this is a strip system that takes home every 3-6 months or every few days to whitening plates to whiten teeth.
If you have tooth sensitivity, be sure to use fluoride or sensitive toothpaste for a week or two before your touch-up sessions. And remember, whitening toothpaste doesn’t whiten teeth, it just helps remove surface stains.
Follow the Instructions for Teeth Whitening Treatment!
Bleachorexia occurs when people continue to whiten their teeth after completing the whitening kit. Even if you’re great at following the manufacturer’s directions, you may be confused about how often you can whiten your teeth with strips for touch-up purposes.
The best rule of thumb is to touch up after every tooth cleaning. This way there is no buildup on your teeth and your dental hygienist has already polished the surface stains. You will make better contact with your teeth and get faster results. But if you like coffee and tea, you’ll probably need to touch up at least once between checks. If you use a full teeth whitening system twice between visits, you are probably whitening your teeth too much.
Can You Whiten Your Teeth Too Much?
Yes. Bleachorxia is when people ignore suggestions about how often you can whiten your teeth and keep whitening them over and over.
It’s not just your teeth you need to worry about. In teeth whitening products, the gum tissues next to them are more sensitive to the whitening solution. Repeated exposure to peroxide-based bleaching gel every day can actually cause chemical burns or whiten your gum tissues.
Does Whitening Weaken Tooth Enamel?
In most cases, teeth whitening does not erode tooth enamel. However, if you expose the teeth to too much whitening agent, it will make them sensitive. However, some dentists will tell you that in severe cases of Bleachorxia (whitening your teeth too much) it causes your enamel to erode. It is similar to what we see in someone with poor oral hygiene or an acidic diet. With enamel erosion, we see the formation of white spots on the teeth. And because white spots are a structural issue rather than tooth color, they don’t bleach.
How Does the Effect of Whitening Last Longer?
How often you can whiten your teeth. Regardless, there are practical things you can do at home to help keep your smile brighter for longer. This way you don’t have to buy new whitening kits or gels at home.
1) Rinse with water after drinking dark liquids
Maybe you’re not ready to give up coffee, tea or red wine completely. What you can do is rinse your mouth with water after a meal. This won’t get you rid of all the stain particles, but it will rinse many of them before they settle into the tiny pores in your tooth enamel.
Do not smoke
Tobacco products, especially smoking, are really effective on your teeth and gums. Stain is deeply embedded in your tooth structure and is one of the most difficult discolorations to bleach your teeth. Now is one of the best times to finally eliminate the habit altogether.
Avoid eating dark foods and drinks
Try to eat your meals without sauce or tomato paste. Choose foods and drinks that won’t stain when spilled on a white t-shirt.
Use a straw
Once your drinks go straight over your upper front teeth, it’s almost impossible for them to stain that area! To keep your smile brighter between professional teeth whitening sessions, consider making it a habit to drink through a straw. A reusable, washable option is ideal to avoid unnecessary waste.
Get regular teeth cleaning
Be sure to schedule checkups and cleanings at least twice a year.
