White diet after teeth whitening: what you can eat

You have just had professional whitening — and your smile is a few shades lighter. To keep the result for years, enamel needs care in the first days: it is open to dyes and acids. How the white diet works, what you can eat and what to give up.

What the white diet is

After whitening, enamel pores stay open for another 24–48 hours: pigments from food and drinks easily get stuck in them, and teeth regain their shade sooner than you'd like. The white diet is a diet without bright dyes and acids for this period.

Teeth reach their final shade in 3–7 days. So the diet is not a doctor's whim but a way to lock in the result you paid for.

How many days to keep it: timeline

What stains enamel: forbidden foods

Avoid everything containing tannins, acids and bright pigments:

• coffee and tea — the top stainers, even with milk;
• red wine, juices, compotes, fruit drinks, cocoa, coloured sodas;
• pigmented berries and vegetables: beetroot, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate;
• citrus and other acids — they soften the enamel;
• spices: turmeric, paprika, curry, saffron;
• chocolate, coloured candies, jams, ice cream with syrups;
• marinades, soy sauce, ketchup;
• tobacco — smoking stains enamel faster than food.

Hot and cold are also off the menu in the first days: temporary hot/cold sensitivity is possible after whitening.

What you can eat: allowed foods

5 tips to prolong the whitening effect

1. Coffee and tea — through a straw and warm, not hot. Rinse your mouth with water afterwards.
2. Quit or cut down smoking — the whiteness lasts many times longer.
3. Use a straw for any coloured drinks for the first two weeks.
4. Support the result with professional hygiene every 6 months plus fluoridation to strengthen the enamel.
5. At home, use toothpaste for sensitive teeth in the first days — the discomfort passes in 2–3 days.