Teeth that have been whitened gradually move back toward their original color over time. This is called "color relapse" (fading). Most of the time, it is caused by surface staining from food, drink and tobacco, and by how your teeth look right after whitening. Fading cannot be stopped completely, but how you spend the time right after treatment, daily brushing, regular cleanings and, when needed, additional whitening can help you keep your teeth white.
Have you ever felt that "I just whitened my teeth, and they already seem to be going back"? In this article, Halulu Shibuya Dental Clinic in Jinnan, Shibuya explains why fading happens, how to keep your teeth white for longer, and when to have additional treatment.
What Is Whitening Fade? Why Does It Happen?
The causes of fading fall broadly into the following 3 groups. It may not be just one of them; several can overlap.
1. How your teeth look right after whitening settles down
Right after whitening, the condition of the tooth surface is temporarily different, and your teeth may look whiter than they really are. After a few days, when the teeth settle down, some people feel that the color has gone back a little. This is not abnormal. It is one part of the process of the whiteness settling.
2. Surface staining from food, drink and tobacco
Dark-colored foods and drinks such as coffee, black tea, red wine and curry, as well as tobacco tar, are sources of staining that gradually remains on the tooth surface. Even whitened teeth can start to look dull when this staining builds up. Many people may be concerned about their daily coffee or tea. This is the most familiar cause of fading.
3. Tooth color changes with age
The color of teeth changes little by little with age. Teeth that have been brightened by whitening are also affected by this natural change over a long period of time.
When Is Fading More Likely?
How long the whiteness lasts varies depending on your original tooth color, the quality of your teeth, the cause of the yellowing, and your daily habits. In the following cases, you may feel that the whiteness fades more easily.
- You often drink dark-colored drinks such as coffee, black tea or red wine
- You smoke
- When you brush, plaque tends to remain between your teeth or along the gumline
- You have had only a few sessions so far, and the whiteness has not yet settled
On our price list, we state that "whitening is said to settle more easily after around 6 sessions." It is not finished after 1 session; if you think of it as building up the whiteness over several sessions, it is easier to plan your schedule and budget. A guide to the number of sessions and costs is on the office whitening page.
How to Keep Your Teeth White Longer: What to Do Right After Treatment
Right after whitening, your teeth are in a state where they stain easily. For a while after treatment, paying attention to the following will help you keep the whiteness.
- Avoid dark-colored drinks and foods (coffee, black tea, red wine, curry, dishes that use a lot of soy sauce, and so on)
- Avoid tobacco
- Rinse your mouth with water after eating or drinking
How long and what you need to avoid depends on the condition of your teeth and the course you received. We will tell you specifically how to spend the day after your treatment.
What Can You Do in Your Daily Habits?
The most important thing for keeping your teeth white is not letting surface staining build up.
- After drinking something dark, rinse your mouth with water. If possible, brush your teeth
- Clean between your teeth with floss or interdental brushes
- If you smoke, cutting down the number of cigarettes can also help keep your teeth white
Brushing hard, or continuing to brush with a toothpaste containing a lot of abrasives, can damage your teeth and gums. If you are unsure about how to brush, please ask us at your appointment.
If the Color Comes Back: Cleaning and Additional Whitening
When you feel that the color has returned, we first check whether surface staining is the cause.
If it is surface staining: cleaning
Staining on the surface can be removed with a cleaning at a dental clinic. A cleaning does not make the tooth itself brighter, but removing the staining can bring your teeth closer to the shade you achieved with whitening. Regularly checking the condition of your mouth and not letting staining build up is the best shortcut to keeping your teeth white.
If the tooth color itself has gone back: additional whitening
If the color of the tooth itself has returned, you can have additional whitening to restore the whiteness. How often it is best to have it depends on how your tooth color goes back and on your habits, so we will make a suggestion after checking the condition of your teeth.
Maintaining at home: home whitening
To maintain the color after whitening your teeth with office whitening, you can also combine it with home whitening. With the mouthpiece type, if you add the whitening gel (1 set of gel: ¥5,500), you can continue with the same mouthpiece.
What to Know Before You Have Treatment
Whitening is self-pay (not covered by Japanese health insurance). Our clinic offers self-pay treatment only and does not provide insurance-covered treatment.
- Your teeth may feel sensitive during or after treatment.
- How white your teeth become, and how long the whiteness lasts, vary from person to person.
- Fillings, crowns and artificial teeth (post crowns) will not become whiter.
- If you have white spots on the surface of your teeth, the spots may temporarily become more noticeable after treatment.
Please check the price list for fees. Office whitening starts from ¥8,800 (tax included), and the courses are divided by the strength of the whitening agent and the number of times the light is applied.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the whiteness from whitening last?
It depends on your eating, drinking and smoking habits and on how you brush, so we can't say for certain. If you avoid letting surface staining build up through regular cleanings, it becomes easier to keep your teeth white.
Is there a way to completely prevent fading?
There is no way to prevent it completely. How you spend the time right after treatment, daily brushing and regular cleanings can slow the fading down.
Should I give up coffee?
You don't have to give it up. Please avoid it right after treatment, and after that we recommend ways to avoid leaving staining behind, such as rinsing your mouth with water after drinking.
Which keeps the whiteness better, office or home whitening?
Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Whitening at the office and then maintaining at home is also one possible approach. We will ask about the condition of your teeth and your wishes, and suggest a method that suits you.
Consult About Whitening Fade in Shibuya
Halulu Shibuya Dental Clinic is on the 4th floor of the Toyama Building in Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, a 5-minute walk from Shibuya Station (JR and other lines). The director is Kazuya Shiho, a dentist who graduated from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (now Institute of Science Tokyo). Because we are a dental clinic focused on prevention, you can have cleanings after whitening and consultations about keeping your teeth white at the same clinic.
Our hours are 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays (Monday to Friday), by appointment only. On weekends, public holidays and evenings, we see patients by appointment only on days when a doctor is in. Please check the calendar when you book for details. You can book on the web (accepted 24 hours), as well as by LINE or phone (03-5422-3518). If this is your first visit, please start with the first-visit counseling (initial consultation fee ¥5,500), where we listen to your concerns.
Book online at Halulu Shibuya Dental Clinic here
This article was supervised by Dr. Kazuya Shiho, Director and dentist at Halulu Shibuya Dental Clinic.