Exact Answer: Between 24-72 Hours
Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is as important as maintaining body health. Proper teeth hygiene steps should be followed to have neat and strong teeth. Therefore, you will be able to eat anything you love without any pain or discomfort in the teeth. You may follow all the steps properly but still, your teeth will not look white.
It will be in a dirty yellow color which is very common but some may not like that and people who have extremely dirty teeth can go for teeth whitening. Teeth whitening is safe and many people go for teeth whitening. It brings confidence to one’s smile.
How Long After Teeth Whitening Can I Eat?
| Foods to be avoided |
| Too cold or too hot food or beverages |
| Too spicy food |
| Dark foods like ketchup, steak sauce that may cause stain in the teeth |
| Wine |
After teeth whitening, avoid food and beverages which are too acidic and avoid foods that may cause stains in the teeth. Your teeth will be too sensitive to handle such foods. Teeth whitening process is simple and you will not have to worry about too much pain or discomfort.
Firstly, you will have to consult your doctor about how much whiter your teeth should become after the treatment, and then the treatment will start. The treatment starts with applying vitamin E on your lips to protect your lips from cracks or dehydration of the lips.
After placing the retractor on your mouth, cotton is inserted, thus covering the salivary glands to keep everything dry and protected from the whitening gel. Then the liquid dam is placed on your gums which is like a rubber shield so that the gums are protected from the whitening gel.
The whitening gel contains peroxide and some other chemicals and so the dentists make sure that the gel does not fall on any tissues. The liquid dam material is hardened with the help of a blue UV light. After that, the whitening gel is applied to your teeth. This gel is too strong so remember that you should never touch the gel with your fingers during the treatment.
Then your mouth will be connected to a blue light machine for 15 minutes after properly protecting your eyes. Then the whitening gel will be sucked off of your teeth. Then the same happens in the second round. This may continue for another round based on the whiter shade you require.
Why Should Wait Before Resuming My Normal Eating Habits After Teeth Whitening?
After your teeth whitening treatment, you should avoid consuming dark foods for 24 hours to 48 hours because they may stain your teeth. The darks foods like steak sauce, ketchup, wine, tea, coffee, soft drinks and so on. If you really cannot control drinking coffee or tea for 48 hours at least make sure to drink a glass of water so that the stain does not stay on your teeth.
The next thing that should be avoided is smoking. Smoking stains your teeth a lot. If you smoke after your whitening session you will not be able to get the full effects of the treatment. After teeth whitening, you will feel sensitivity for 3 to 4 days. Feeling sensitivity is completely normal after the treatment.
If you are too uncomfortable about the sensitivity you can consult your dentist and he/she will give you some painkillers so that you will not feel too much sensitivity. After 4 days, the sensitivity will subside and everything will be back to normal. If you want the best results from your teeth whitening treatment you must follow these simple steps.
After the treatment make sure to follow a healthy diet that involves a lot of white food so that your teeth do not get stained. Dentists will also suggest you have white-colored foods and will ask you to avoid hard foods so that you do not feel discomfort because of the sensitivity. Most people cannot control their eating habits. Such people undergoing teeth whitening treatment is a total waste of time and money.
Conclusion
The teeth whitening procedure is simple and the recovery time after the treatment is short. Teeth whitening is effective and can last longer only if you follow the after-care procedures of the treatment. To get the best results, consult your dentist on what to eat or drink and what should be avoided after the treatment.
Make sure to clear all the doubts that you have in your mind with your dentist. The perfect smile that you desire lies in your hands. Four days is not too long and so try controlling your food habits after the treatment for only four days to get the desired results.