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Your teeth enhance your smile. This is a statement that is 100% true. This is one of the reasons why people opt for teeth whitening procedures. But, with white teeth, you might experience some consequences too. This is why finding ways to cope with teeth whitening sensitivity is the need of the hour.
The pain and the sensitivity might not be the worst but it does have impacts that can affect your quality of life. Preventive measures are good but home remedies work just as fine.
To help guide you with the best treatment for pain after teeth whitening, we have sorted out a comprehensive list of the home remedies that work.
What Causes Pain After Teeth Whitening?
Whatever the method you try, chances are that the dental procedures are the ones that impose risks of sensitivity. It is possible to prevent the condition from getting worse. You can practice some important steps before and after the treatment process.
The primary reason why the sensitivity occurs is because of the fact that the exposure of the dental-grade bleaching agents penetrates deep into the teeth enamel. What this does is end up exposing the excitatory nerve endings in the front.
So, when you eat something or even just in the most random times, the same can inflict pain and discomfort.
Read: 11 Home Remedies To Soothe Sensitive Teeth Effectively
How to stop teeth whitening pain?
There are a number of ways to cope with teeth whitening sensitivity as well as the pain without many issues. The only thing that you need to pay close attention to is to ensure that you avoid doing random things and follow through the steps accordingly.
Some of the effective was to cope with teeth whitening sensitivity includes:
1.Salt water rinse
If there is any kind of inflammation (R) going around in your jaws and the area around, the salt water rinse can definitely help with that.
What to do?
- To a cup of water, add ½ tsp of salt
- Mix everything till it dissolves completely
- Use this as a mouthwash to rinse your teeth and oral cavity
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
Read: Health Problems That Salt Water Gargle Can Cure Amazingly
2.Cold compress
For the most part, applying the cold compress can either make the condition better or worse, depending on your condition.
If you are finding any kind of inflammation and such because of the teeth whitening process, it is best suggested that you opt for cold compress. The ice can help in numbing the pain and helps get rid of the discomfort that you might have been experiencing.
In addition to that, the cold compress also does help in reducing the inflammation as well, which is an added bonus.
What to do?
- Freeze a cold compress gel pack
- Apply the same on the side of the mouth where it hurts
- Leave it on for 20 minutes, removing it every other minute
How often?
- 2-3 times daily
3.Garlic
It also does help with the pain and discomfort which you could be experiencing because of the teeth whitening process and the bleaches used for the same.
What to do?
- Crush some garlic and make a smooth paste of the same
- Using cotton, apply the paste on the affected area
- Leave it on for 10 minutes or so
- Rinse off your mouth thoroughly after that
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
Read: Benefits And Limitations of Chinese Garlic
4.Clove oil
It is amazing for the condition of the sensitivity that you might have been experiencing. It has analgesic (R) properties in it which works out just fine for treating the sensitivity in the teeth as well. For the best results, it is best to apply the clove oil with some cotton and not directly in heavy doses.
What to do?
- Pour a few drops of the clove oil onto some cotton
- Stuff it inside the mouth where it hurts
- Leave it on for a few hours
- Remove and swap it for a fresh cotton piece
How often?
- 2-3 times daily
Read: 6 Ways to Use Cloves for Toothache For A Faster Pain Relief
5.Desensitizing toothpaste
The desensitizing toothpastes have been found to have amazing benefits in helping the nerve endings from the irritants. Majority of them contain potassium nitrate in them which have the property of blocking the pain signals from reaching the brand. This further helps manage the pain and the discomfort that you are experiencing.
Following multiple usage, the sensitivity does come under in control which is pretty amazing.
What to do?
- Brush your teeth with desensitizing toothpaste
- Do this at least twice a day
- Use a soft bristle toothbrush along with it
How often?
- Twice a day
Read: Best Natural Homemade Toothpaste Preparation
6.Coconut oil pulling
The main reason why this works is because of the presence of the analgesic as well as the anti-inflammatory properties that are present in it. It fights through the sensitivity and ensures to fight back the side effects of teeth whitening that many struggle with.
What to do?
- Start by taking 1 tbsp of coconut oil
- Use that to swish around in your mouth for 10 minutes
- Once done, spit it out and rinse your mouth with warm water
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
Read: Coconut Oil for Hemorrhoids | How to Get Rid of Hemorrhoids
7.Guava Leaves
Guava leaves is yet another amazing natural way to relieve pain after teeth whitening. It is also used when you have pain because of the infection or so other dental issue.
The primary reason why guava leaves are touted as an effective remedy for this condition is because of the presence of anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties in them.
What to do?
- Take some water in a saucepan
- Bring it to a boil
- Put some guava leaves into the boiling water
- Let it boil for 10 minutes
- Once done, switch the gas off and cover the pan
- Let it steep for another 10 minutes
- Strain the liquid and use it to rinse your mouth
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
8.Onion
The primary reason why it works is because of the presence of the compounds like quercetin which are flavonoids with potent anti-inflammatory properties in them.
In addition to that, it also fights through the pain and sensitivity which is another reason why it works so well.
What to do?
- Cut up a few slices of the onion into small pieces
- Keep one inside your mouth on the area that hurts
- Leave it on for 15 minutes
- Remove once done
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
Read: Top 13 Health Benefits of Onion
9.Hydrogen peroxide rinse
Hydrogen peroxide is one of the best ways to overcome the tooth pain after teeth whitening. In addition to getting rid of the sensitivity, hydrogen peroxide rinse also helps fight off the pain and inflammation as well.
If you are experiencing bleeding gums following the teeth whitening procedure, this rinse does come in handy. The only thing that you need to keep in mind is to ensure that you dilute the hydrogen peroxide properly before using.
What to do?
- In a glass, mix equal parts of 3% hydrogen peroxide with water
- Use this to rinse your mouth
- Do this till you run out of the glass of water
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
Read: 7 Benefits Of Gargling With Hydrogen Peroxide – Know The Ways!
10.Peppermint tea
Much like the clove oil, even peppermint tea has been found to have beneficial impacts in numbing the area that has been paining and causing discomfort. The active compound in the peppermint, Menthol, is what helps in boosting the impacts of the tea on one’s health.
What to do?
- Boil some water in a pot
- Add a few peppermint leaves to the pot and let it boil
- Once boiled, cover the pot for 5 minutes to let it steep
- Strain the liquid and drink this tea to get rid of the sensitivity and pain
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
Read: Peppermint As A Potent Treatment For Oesophageal Disorders, Study Suggests
11.Asafetida
Asafetida is yet another one of the potent remedies that help with the pain relief for sensitive teeth after whitening.
It is also quite amazing when it comes to the toothache as well as bleeding gums. If you do struggle around with the pain and the inflammation because of the teeth whitening process, get rid of the same.
What to do?
- Take 2 tbsp of lemon juice in a bowl
- Add one pinch of powdered asafetida to it
- Let it warm up a little bit
- Take some on cotton and apply some on the affected part
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
12.Teabags
The tannins and the antioxidative properties in the teabags help with the bleeding gums which is one of the reasons why it works.
What to do?
- Boil some water in a pot
- Transfer some into a cup and throw in a tea bag in it
- Let it steep for 10 minutes
- Cool it down in the fridge with the teabag in the cup
- Use the teabag on the area of the teeth that hurts
- Leave it on for 10 minutes
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
13.Turmeric
The active compound, Curcumin, has been found to have beneficial anti-inflammatory (R) as well as mild analgesic and antioxidant properties which come in handy for treating the pain and discomfort.
What to do?
- Make a paste with turmeric powder
- Apply the same on the affected area that’s paining
- Leave it on for 30 minutes
- Rinse your mouth with some water
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
Read: 11 Skin Benefits Of Turmeric – Get The Natural Glow On
14.Baking Soda
Baking soda is one of the other treatments that help with the pain relief for sensitive teeth after whitening. It has anti-inflammatory properties that help with the pain and the inflammation that you have been experiencing.
It also helps with the antibacterial properties which further helps with the condition of the gum infection as well that may be causing pain and discomfort for you.
What to do?
- Take a glass of warm water
- Add ½ tsp of baking soda to it
- Mix everything till it dissolves completely
- Use this to rinse your mouth
- Do this till you run out of the glass of water
How often?
- 1-2 times daily
Read: 12 Baking Soda and Lemon Benefits That You Definitely Can’t Miss Out On
How long does teeth whitening pain last?
When it comes to clarifying how long the teeth whitening pain lasts, the process isn’t that extensive.
For the most part, the pain will last for 2-3 days following which it does stop. If you pain and discomfort is persistent, it is best suggested that you look into alternatives to find why it’s happening.
Consulting a dentist if the condition is persistent is an effective way to ensure that you don’t face the blunt end of the situation. Make sure that you do focus on the positives around the same.
How to prevent teeth whitening sensitivity?
In order to prevent the condition of the sensitivity, there are actually important preventive measures that you need to take before as well as after the process of treatment.
It is possible that if you don’t like the condition, the same will end up affecting your overall well being. To help cope with the condition better, we have sorted out some of the before and after treatment precautions that you can take to prevent the sensitivity from happening in the first place.
Before treatment
The few things that you definitely need to do before treatment is to build up the resistance against the teeth sensitivity prior only. Start by using a sensitive toothpaste or even a gel from at least a week before the treatment is about to start. It is a hit or miss at this point but it does help to an extent and can help get rid of the problems that you could be facing.
After treatment
Ensure to follow through the guideline that the dentist suggests. While brushing your teeth, ensure that you are being gentle and not too harsh because that can cause a problem even more. Make sure that you are not forcing yourself in eating something that could affect your teeth even more.
If you have been trying to find answers to what to do for pain after teeth whitening, these are some of the preventive measures that you can look into. For those trying to balance things out, make sure that you couple these factors in.
When it comes to the ways to cope with teeth whitening sensitivity, these are some of the beneficial ways that work. It is very important to ensure that you do focus on prevention first and the home remedies next.
