With your braces finally off, you likely feel pretty good about your smile. That’s only natural – your once-crooked teeth now look beautifully straight! Still, you may want to know whether you can brighten your newly aligned grin; improving its color is the next natural step. The good news is that your Boston dentist will gladly address this question. To that end, here’s a summary of why (and how) you can get teeth whitening after braces.
Context: Post-Braces Discoloration
It’s not unusual to consider whitening after a braces treatment. In many cases, a patient’s smile looks dirty (or unevenly colored) once the brackets and wires are off.
The issue is that braces affect how plaque gathers on someone’s grin. Since they often protect enamel from exposure to your meals, they can make some parts of your teeth look light once removed. At the same time, braces make teeth cleaning difficult and allow plaque to build up in hard-to-reach places. These areas will darken and stain, contrasting with your smile’s lighter areas after your braces are off.
After a braces treatment, these plaque-related effects lead to an unevenly colored smile. The latter is usually something patients want to deal with immediately.
Can You Get Teeth Whitening After Braces?
Rest assured, you can get teeth whitening after your braces treatment. You just need to go about it in a certain way.
Most dentists suggest you wait six months to whiten your teeth after getting your braces removed. During that period, your teeth will have time to regain their strength and adjust to life without wires and brackets. They can then undergo the whitening process more comfortably and effectively.
Saliva will also reduce the discoloration of your smile over a six-month period. Once that time is up, you can decide whether your grin is still stained enough to need professional whitening.
Other Ways to Brighten Teeth After Braces
Of course, teeth whitening isn’t the only way to get a brighter smile after braces. You should also remember to use the following tips and tricks:
- Brush & Floss Daily – By brushing twice daily and flossing once daily, you can remove built-up tooth stains and prevent new ones.
- Do Oral Rinses Often – Fluoridated mouth rinses can remove teeth-staining plaque from your grin.
- Get Regular Dental Checkups – If you get regular dental checkups, a dentist can clean your smile and keep new tooth stains from showing up.
- Avoid Bad Oral Habits – Try to avoid tobacco products, as they’ll often stain teeth yellow or brown.
You can whiten your teeth after finishing with braces, but talk to your dentist about it. They’ll make sure your treatment goes off without a hitch!
About the Practice
Turning Leaf Dental is based in Boston, MA. Led by Drs. Rachel Beamer and Drew Davis, our practice always provides a boutique dental experience for every patient. That means we tailor our preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments to your smile, ensuring the best possible results. We also offer orthodontic services like Invisalign and dental emergency care. For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (617)-536-5182.