Dealing with Teeth Sensitivity After Whitening

If you have a white and healthy set of pearly white teeth, posing for a photograph and smiling will not be an issue at all. For those of you with damaged teeth or stained and/or discoloured teeth however, something as seemingly basic as smiling can leave you feeling self-conscious about your teeth.

Our teeth can become stained and discoloured for a whole host of different reasons, with smoking, and excessive consumption of tea and/or coffee being some of the main culprits. If you’ve decided to have your teeth professionally whitened, you may notice that after receiving whitening treatment, your teeth and gums may be feeling sensitive.

In this article, we’re going to be looking at how to get rid of teeth sensitivity after whitening, so grab a seat, get comfortable, and let’s look at some simple and effective ways to reduce teeth sensitivity after you’ve had them whitened.

7 tips to get rid of teeth sensitivity after teeth whitening

1. Use a desensitizing toothpaste

One of the simplest and most effective treatments in terms of how to get rid of teeth sensitivity after whitening, is to use a desensitizing toothpaste.

As the name implies, these toothpastes contain ingredients which are designed to not only be comfortable for people with sensitive teeth, but also to help reduce sensitivity in the teeth as a result.

For the first 48 hours after having your teeth whitened, be sure to brush your teeth with a specially formulated teeth desensitizing toothpaste. If you were prone to sensitive teeth before the whitening procedure, you may even wish to stick with this toothpaste on a long term basis.

2. Drink through a straw

People in search of tips in terms of how to get rid of teeth sensitivity after whitening may wish to consider investing in a good quality reusable drinking straw.

People with sensitive teeth often find that drinking liquids, especially cold liquids, can be very painful if the liquid comes into contact with the teeth. A drinking straw is ideal in this situation because you can have a drink and not have to worry about the liquid touching the teeth and causing you pain and discomfort.

3. Prepare before your treatment

One of the easiest things you can do to help avoid teeth sensitivity after having your teeth whitened is simply to prepare your teeth before the procedure.

A few weeks before the whitening treatment, switch to a desensitizing toothpaste like we spoke about earlier. While this won’t work miracles, it will certainly make an improvement before and after you have had your teeth whitened.

4. Avoid cold and hot liquids

If you are wondering how to get rid of teeth sensitivity after whitening, another simple and highly effective strategy which you can implement is simply to avoid hot and cold liquids.

If your teeth are sensitive after having them whitened, the last thing you should be doing is drinking an ice cold drink, or a particularly hot drink as these extreme temperatures can really set of the sensitivity in your teeth and leave you in a lot of pain and discomfort.

Ideally you should drink room temperature liquids, and again, be sure to drink through a straw to help ensure that the liquid doesn’t touch your now overly sensitive teeth.

5. Avoid cold and hot foods

For the same reasons as you should avoid hot and cold drinks, so too should you avoid hot and cold foods.

Of course certain foods need cooking, but if you do cook a meal, be sure to leave it to cool down to room temperature, providing it is safe to consume of course.

If you consume cold foods, be sure to remove them from the refrigerator and let them come up to room temperate before you eat them.

6. Brush your teeth gently

For those wondering how to get rid of teeth sensitivity after whitening, something as simple as using a softer bristled toothbrush and brushing your teeth slower and gentler can actually make a huge difference.

7. Never brush immediately after whitening

Okay, so you’ve had your teeth whitened, they look great, but your mouth feels weird, and what if brushing your teeth will make them even whiter?! Well, first off, brushing your teeth after whitening them will not make them any whiter at all. Secondly, brushing after whitening the teeth will make them more sensitive.

Brushing immediately after having them whitened could open up pores of exposed dentine in the teeth, which is a recipe for sensitive teeth, as well as damaged tooth enamel.

Brush before your procedure, but wait until bedtime before you brush your teeth after you’ve had them whitened.

Teeth still sensitive?

We hope that this article has given you a better understanding of how to reduce teeth sensitivity after whitening. If you've tried this tips and you are still experiencing teeth sensitivity for a long period of time, we recommend you book an appointment with the friendly team at Nedlands Dental. 

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