{"id":148,"date":"2025-04-17T15:27:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T15:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/?p=148"},"modified":"2025-06-03T15:39:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T15:39:06","slug":"teeth-whitening-after-braces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/","title":{"rendered":"Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"A woman getting professional teeth whitening\" class=\"wp-image-149\" style=\"width:313px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7.jpg 1203w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve recently had braces, congratulations on your beautiful new smile! Wearing orthodontic equipment can be a lot of work, and it can be challenging to keep your teeth looking their best during treatment. Now that you\u2019re finally able to enjoy your gorgeous new grin, however, you may be noticing your smile isn\u2019t quite as white as you\u2019d like it to be. Enter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/teeth-whitening.html\">professional whitening<\/a>. If your teeth are braces-free and look a little lackluster, here\u2019s how this safe, effective cosmetic treatment can help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professional Whitening vs. Over the Counter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to whitening your smile, many patients believe that saving a few dollars on OTC whitening kits or white strips from the store is a good idea. After all, why spend all that money when you can get the same results for less? But the truth is that OTC products don\u2019t usually provide the same results as professional whitening. In fact, because they use diluted ingredients, they take much longer to work, thereby exposing your teeth to extended sensitivity and costing much more than you bargained for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professional Whitening after Braces<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you wear braces, it can be difficult to keep your teeth free of stains and discoloration, because your orthodontic equipment can make it harder to clean every surface of the tooth. Thus, when your braces come off, they may look discolored, stained, or simply dirty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first thing you should do is schedule an appointment with your dentist for an exam and cleaning. This will ensure that your teeth are healthy and strong and that there are no cavities or other injuries that need to be treated first. Furthermore, your professional cleaning will remove the built-on plaque that is preventing your smile from looking its best. Then, if you still have any stains or discoloration after, your dentist can discuss your whitening options once he knows your teeth are in good health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In-office vs. Take-home Whitening<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now it\u2019s time to decide which method of whitening you\u2019d prefer; take home whitening kits can remove up to eight shades of discoloration in about two weeks. With your kit you\u2019ll get a set of custom whitening trays that can be reused repeatedly, and if your teeth are in good health you can return to your dentist for refills as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conversely, in-office whitening can remove the same eight shades of staining, but in about one hour. You will need to make another appointment and return for touch ups, but this treatment is extremely convenient, especially if you have an upcoming event like a wedding or graduation that your smile needs to look its best for!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, now that your braces are off, it\u2019s natural to want to show off your smile. If stains or discoloration are leaving your teeth looking a little lackluster, don\u2019t despair. Speak to your dentist about your professional whitening options and get ready to showcase your gorgeous new grin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Dr. Funk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/meet-your-dentist.html\">Dr. Derek Funk<\/a> is a proud, third-generation dentist! He earned his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University, and his dentistry degree at UCLA School of Dentistry. To date, Dr. Funk has earned over 100 hours of continuing education in topics like dental implants, oral surgery, orthodontics, and cosmetic dentistry.&nbsp; If you\u2019d like to discuss your options for professional whitening both after braces or for any other reason, please schedule a consultation with Sweeny Family Dental by visiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/request-an-appointment.html\">our website<\/a> or calling us at 979-548-2184.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve recently had braces, congratulations on your beautiful new smile! Wearing orthodontic equipment can be a lot of work, and it can be challenging to keep your teeth looking their best during treatment. Now that you\u2019re finally able to enjoy your gorgeous new grin, however, you may be noticing your smile isn\u2019t quite as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces | Dr. Derek Funk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Now that your teeth are straight and even following your orthodontic treatment, it\u2019s time to get them white and bright with professional whitening!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces | Dr. Derek Funk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Now that your teeth are straight and even following your orthodontic treatment, it\u2019s time to get them white and bright with professional whitening!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sweeny Family Dental Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-17T15:27:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-03T15:39:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7-1024x684.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"sweeny\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"sweeny\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/\",\"name\":\"Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces | Dr. Derek Funk\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7-1024x684.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-17T15:27:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-03T15:39:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5ed7b8c79c821fcfbcd514e3c8cc1af2\"},\"description\":\"Now that your teeth are straight and even following your orthodontic treatment, it\u2019s time to get them white and bright with professional whitening!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7.jpg\",\"width\":1203,\"height\":803},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Sweeny Family Dental Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5ed7b8c79c821fcfbcd514e3c8cc1af2\",\"name\":\"sweeny\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cf684b3868de94d15a6e01c49a07a3d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cf684b3868de94d15a6e01c49a07a3d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"sweeny\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/author\/sweeny\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces | Dr. Derek Funk","description":"Now that your teeth are straight and even following your orthodontic treatment, it\u2019s time to get them white and bright with professional whitening!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces | Dr. Derek Funk","og_description":"Now that your teeth are straight and even following your orthodontic treatment, it\u2019s time to get them white and bright with professional whitening!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/","og_site_name":"Sweeny Family Dental Blog","article_published_time":"2025-04-17T15:27:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-03T15:39:06+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7-1024x684.jpg"}],"author":"sweeny","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"sweeny","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/","name":"Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces | Dr. Derek Funk","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7-1024x684.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-17T15:27:24+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-03T15:39:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5ed7b8c79c821fcfbcd514e3c8cc1af2"},"description":"Now that your teeth are straight and even following your orthodontic treatment, it\u2019s time to get them white and bright with professional whitening!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/AdobeStock_286880598-7.jpg","width":1203,"height":803},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/17\/teeth-whitening-after-braces\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bright Ideas: Teeth Whitening After Braces"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/","name":"Sweeny Family Dental Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/5ed7b8c79c821fcfbcd514e3c8cc1af2","name":"sweeny","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cf684b3868de94d15a6e01c49a07a3d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cf684b3868de94d15a6e01c49a07a3d6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"sweeny"},"url":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/author\/sweeny\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":150,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions\/150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sweenyfamilydental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}