03/28/2016 14:27
Any tooth whitening doctor will tell you that there are two truths that are inescapable when it comes to smoking and teeth whitening. First, smoking will make your teeth less and less white over time by depositing surface stains on the enamel and dentin of your teeth. The second is that teeth whitening will reverse this process.
But unless you stop smoking altogether, this is a never-ending battle between the forces of darkening (smoking) and the forces of lightening (whitening).
Immediately after having your teeth whitened, however, is an exceptionally vulnerable time for your teeth. This is because the enamel has been pierced by the whitening agent, essentially hydrogen peroxide or something similar, which then scrubbed the teeth clean. As a result, the teeth are particularly porous at that moment and should return to normal in about 48 hours. If you can refrain from smoking for that duration of time, or at least severely limit your intake, you will do your teeth a modicum of good compared to smoking a lot afterward.
Obviously, this has nothing to do with the damage smoking can do on your gums and the rest of your oral and overall health, which everyone knows about.
